The Battle of Alpha Prime
by martadude66
Summary: The Robinsons finally discover the way to reach Alpha Centauri, but they're not the only ones seeking a future there - and to accomplish their mission, they'll need to win the battle of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**The Battle of Alpha Prime**

**Chapter 1**

_I own none of the characters in this story, and nothing affiliated with Lost in Space._

Major Don West emerged from below the Jupiter 2's rear thrusters. His face was covered with grime and sweat. He looked weary, but determined to finish what he had started.

A friendly, familiar face offered him a cold bottle of water.

"Don, what time did you start under there this morning?" Judy Robinson asked.

"5:30, I think," he said. "It was still dark, but the one light was all I needed, and it helped to start that early. It helped me focus. There was nothing else I could see."

Judy tried to peer underneath the Jupiter to see the progress of Don's work, but it was hard to make out what was going on under there. The array of protrusions and gadgets seemed like they would take weeks to put back together. But the Jupiter crew didn't have weeks.

"So you were retrofitting the thrusters in the dark, Don?" Judy said with a playful tone. "Nice plan. The one thing that can get us to Alpha Centauri . . . I hope you could see what you were doing."

Don took a sip from the water bottle.

"Judy, I can do amazing things with my hands in the dark."

Judy stood up and started to trot back toward the ship.

"I'm sure you can, flyboy. I'm sure you can."

Don smiled. His feelings toward Judy had never really been a secret, although he had never communicated them to her with words. With his eyes, sure, hundreds of times – and he felt there was no question she had reciprocated. But to start a relationship, in such tight quarters, in the midst of such a difficult mission – it had never seemed like the right time, the right circumstances. Maybe, if this new initiative worked, and they really made it to Alpha Centauri . . . well, maybe.

He watched as Judy made her way up the ramp and into the ship. Her form, her figure, had come to emblemize an ideal for him. Other than Maureen and Penny, Don hadn't seen another Earth woman in three years, but he was sure that every woman he saw for the rest of his life – assuming he did see any more – would be measured in his mind by the standard personified by Judy Robinson.

But he knew he needed to get his mind back on his task. Retrofitting the thrusters to generate the kind of power the Jupiter would need for this mission allowed for no margin of error. This was going to be a one-shot deal, and without the retrofitted thrusters working perfectly, it had no chance of succeeding.

Don wiped his brow, took a final swig of water and slid back under the ship.

_Ten days earlier_

It was Will Robinson's idea. Sitting outside the ship one night with Dr. Smith and the Robot, gazing at the stars, he had noticed something about the trajectory of the stars as they moved across the sky.

"Robot," he had asked, "would it be possible for you to burn the positions of these stars into your memory every hour for, say, six or seven nights in a row, and then analyze their motion?"

"Affirmative, Will Robinson," the Robot had replied. "What type of analysis would you be looking for?"

"I have some computer programs that model different points in the galaxy," Will said, "and this looks familiar to me. If this is the spoke in the Milky Way that I think it is, then what the stars do over the next several days will confirm that."

Dr. Smith was finding the conversation boring.

"William," Smith said, "what is the point of this astrological fishing expedition? No matter which stars are up in the sky, it doesn't change the fact that we remain stranded on this miserable planet."

"But it might, Dr. Smith," Will insisted. "If we can determine our location in the galaxy and track the galaxy's motion, we can determine what it would take to make it to Alpha Centauri. I know this is sort of just a hunch, but based on what I've seen on my computer models, and what I'm seeing in the sky right now, we might not be that far away."

Smith rolled his eyes.

"Alpha Centauri indeed! The only destination worth reaching is Earth. _Earth!_"

The Robot was busy setting up the files and functions he would need to make Will's calculations.

"I have already filed the first scan of the stars' locations and basic direction, Will Robinson," the Robot said. "While navigation based on computer models is a practice that still comes with imperfections, my calculations are that your idea may indeed have merit."

Will looked at Dr. Smith as if to say, "_See?"_

"Bah!" Smith declared, and laid his head back down on the recliner. Will gazed back up into the stars, his mind going faster than the speed of light, or so it seemed.

After the Robot had spent a week cataloging star movements, Will had uploaded the Robot's data to his laptop and positioned the display side-by-side with his Milky Way navigation model – then sent them to the Jupiter 2's display screen to show to the rest of the family.

"The Robot's analysis confirms my suspicion that we're at this point in the galaxy," Will said, pointing to a spoke toward the interior rotation of the Milky Way. "Alpha Centauri is here, just below our current position, and to the right on the screen."

John Robinson studied the display closely. The rest of the family seemed to be waiting for John to render his initial assessment of Will's analysis.

"Robot," John said, "do you agree with Will's theory about where we are?"

"Affirmative, Professor Robinson," the Robot replied. "The motion of the stars I analyzed over the course of the seven nights occurred exactly in synchronization with Will Robinson's computer models. I have calculated the chances of this happening by coincidence as one in 5,234,423,087,432,008."

"So we know where we are!" Penny exclaimed excitedly. "And we know where Alpha Centauri is."

"And Earth!" Smith intoned.

"You're nothing if not predictable, Smith," Don quickly replied.

"Spare me the poisonous barbs, Major!" Smith demanded. "After three years on this God-forsaken journey – a journey for which I most certainly did _not_ volunteer – I can think of no destination worthy of my enthusiasm other than sweet, wonderful Earth!"

"All right, that's enough, Smith," John said. "For someone who didn't volunteer for the mission, you certainly went to a lot of trouble to be aboard the ship at takeoff, and I've never exactly heard a satisfactory explanation for that – but that's not our concern today. Robot, can you calculate the time that would be required to reach Alpha Centauri using this model?"

"Negative," the Robot said. "We are ahead of Alpha Centauri in the path of the galaxy's rotation, meaning any path we could take to get there would be replete with hazards."

"In other words," Judy said. "We'd be essentially swimming against the tide."

"Correct, Judy Robinson," the Robot said. "Flying across the galaxy opposite the direction of its rotation would present severe danger. Stars, planets, comets, supernovas and unquantifiable volumes of space debris would all be flying at high speeds toward the Jupiter 2. It would be an extremely dangerous journey."

Everyone was quiet. Will looked down. John put a hand on his shoulder.

"It was good thinking, son," John said. "I'm proud of you for taking the initiative. Sure, it didn't work out this time, but that's the kind of ingenuity that will end up taking us where we're trying to go."

Will looked up a little, but still had a look of disappointment on his face.

"Thanks, Dad," he said. "I understand what you're trying to say."

At that, each member of the family began moving away from the gathering – each back to their own individual pursuits. But an interjection from Don brought everyone to a halt.

"Robot," Don said. "Do you think you can use Will's computer data to model the motion of the galaxy as it would project into the future?"

"Affirmative," the Robot said. "But I am not sure I understand what kind of model you are looking for, Major."

"Well maybe it's a long shot," Don said, "but what if there were a moment in time – a moment we could pinpoint – when the movement of items in the galaxy would give us a clear path?"

"In other words," John said, "you're looking to identify a time at which we could take off a travel a specific course, and we could essentially duck the debris."

Don nodded. "Why not take a look at the data and see?"

Maureen stepped forward. "Even if we were to find a point when the model suggests it's possible, we would have to time it perfectly and encounter absolutely no problems along the way. That hasn't exactly been our history."

Dr. Smith tightened up self-consciously.

"Well, if we throw Smith in one of the freezing tubes for the entire trip, we might stand a chance," Don wisecracked.

"You're a cold, cruel man, Major!" Smith howled.

"All right, that's enough," John said. "Robot, can you run that kind of model."

"I believe I can," the Robot said. "Give me a moment to calculate the data."

Without missing a beat, the Robot continued:

"Major West is correct. If the Jupiter 2 were to break the orbit of this planet at exactly 2:47 p.m. and 48 seconds on October 29, 2000, Earth Time, it would have a clear path to the Alpha Centauri system."

Will suddenly looked excited. "That's next Saturday!" he said.

"There is, however, a problem," the Robot said. "Once we break free of this planet's orbit, it would be necessary to maintain a steady speed of 173,342 miles per hour in order to avoid any collisions with objects in space. Any variation in speed would almost certainly cause the Jupiter 2 and all occupants thereof to be destroyed."

John looked at Don.

"I don't see how we can get it up that fast, especially so quickly after leaving the planet's orbit," John said. "And even if we could, what would it do to our fuel supply to fly at that speed? I'm not sure we could even make it to Alpha Centauri."

"Dad," Judy said, "I think I might know how to solve the fuel issue. Remember those reserves of deutronium elements you found in that cave just north of here? Penny and I were exploring in that area one day and we found nine or 10 more caves just like that one. They all had the same soil properties and the same smell. If they all have deutronium reserves, that should be enough to get us to Alpha Centauri."

"OK," John said. "Well we should definitely explore that. Even if we don't do this trip, we will certainly have use for that deutronium, if it's really there. But I still don't see how we're going to get up to that speed. Our thrusters simply weren't designed to generate that kind of surge. As far as I know, no Earth-made vehicle has ever traveled that fast."

Don walked over to the freezing tubes.

"John," Don said. "What if we were to retrofit the thrusters using the power mechanisms from the freezing tubes? These tubes were designed to keep all of us in suspended animation for five years on our maiden voyage. That's an incredible amount of power."

At that, Don briefly looked over at Dr. Smith, whose presence has scuttled the original mission of the Jupiter. Smith returned the glance with eyes of steel, as if to say, _"Must we go over that again?"_ And Don got back on track.

"I think I know how I could add that power to the thrusters," Don said. "We wouldn't be able to use the freezing tubes anymore, but I guess we're sort of beyond that anyway."

John was thinking.

"Robot," John said. "Do you agree that this is feasible?"

"It is feasible, Professor Robinson," the Robot said. "But the retrofitting must be very precise. Any flaw in the installation will render the thrusters incapable of generating the speed the Jupiter will need to complete the mission."

Everyone looked at John.

"OK," he said. "I think it's worth a try. We'll have to leave the planet no later than 2 p.m. on Saturday to break the planet's orbit in time. Don, do you think you can complete the retrofit 24 hours prior to that so we can test it?"

"I do," Don said. "I'll have to get to work on it right away."

"OK, do it," John said.

"And Don can come with me to explore the caves and set up the deutronium drill," Judy said.

"No good," John said. "Don needs to devote all his time to the retrofit. Dr. Smith! You can go and assist Judy with the deutronium exploration."

A horrified look settled over Smith's face.

"Good sir," Smith said. "As you know, my back is very delicate –"

John wasn't about to let Dr. Smith's objections go any farther.

"Dr. Smith, as you know, we have faced many obstacles on our journey because of your deeds, or misdeeds as the case may be," John said. "Now you will assist Judy with the deutronium exploration, and that is an order. Is that understood?"

Smith was furious, but he knew that any further objections would be futile.

"It is understood."

The rest of the family went to work on other preparations. After three years lost in space, Alpha Centauri might finally be within their grasp.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but a diverticulum.

**Chapter 2**

John Robinson lay underneath the Jupiter 2 examining the nearly retrofitted rear thrusters. Don West sat on a rock nearby, catching his breath after a 14-hour day on his back, installing the additional power that everyone hoped would permit the Jupiter to fly faster than any craft previously known to man.

"You didn't skimp on screws and bolts, I see," John called out to Don.

"We can't take any chances," Don said. "There's no precedent for what happens when you travel at that speed, so I figured five times the typical fastening apparatus was, at a minimum, the kind of caution we should exercise."

John slid out.

"I can't disagree," he said. "You think it can be finished tomorrow, then?"

"It should be," Don said. "At this point it's basically a matter of closing things back up. Then as long as we have the fuel, I guess it's much of a go as it can be. Too bad you can't really do a true-life test of thrusters while you're still on the ground."

"Agreed," John said. "That makes me nervous too, having to rely on the computer models. But given the parameters of our time window, I don't see what else we can do. We've got one shot at this, and two days from now we're either on our course to Alpha Centauri or we're not going."

"Assuming Judy and Smith have been able to access the fuel we need," Don added. "You know, I've been so focused on this, I haven't even thought to ask Judy how it's going. That was thoughtless of me. I guess if I thought about it at all, I just assumed she wouldn't let me labor under here for days on end if we weren't going to have the fuel to make the trip."

John grinned a little. He knew Don was concerned about more than just the fuel.

"I don't think you've put Judy off too terribly," he said. "She's found and brought up an astonishing volume of deutronium. And even Smith hasn't been all _that_ unhelpful, for him, I mean."

Don chuckled at that. John continued.

"Like you, I'd say they've got one more day's solid work ahead of them, and we'll be ready on the fuel end. It's been an excellent effort all around."

Don nodded with satisfaction. In all the time he had been with the Robinsons, he couldn't remember a time the entire group had pulled together so effectively. Maureen and Penny had been working nonstop to get the ship ready for takeoff. Will had been poring over his computer models to make sure the navigation plan was right. John had expertly coordinated the whole thing while contributing no small amount of sweat himself.

And even Dr. Smith had at least refrained from making a nuisance of himself, perhaps realizing that whether he wanted to go to Alpha Centauri or not, this was do or die, and he had no interest in the latter.

Two days from now, it would be go time.

Judy used a stopwatch to time the rotations of the derrick as it penetrated the ground inside the cave. On her command, Dr. Smith would use external controls to adjust the speed up or down. The deutronium would come up from the ground via a suction apparatus powered by the derrick's rotations, and would be captured in canisters about two feet long and 10 inches around.

Deutronium was an experimental fuel, more properly known as beryllium deuteride, which is chemically identical to beryllium hydride except that deuterium replaces hydrogen, adding an additional two neutrons to each molecule.

When Alpha Control was searching for a fuel powerful enough to take the Jupiter 2 all the way to Alpha Centauri, it agreed with some reluctance to test deutronium at the urging of scientists who believed they could make it function in a manner similar to traditional rocket fuel.

The actual substance in the ground was actually pure beryllium hydride, but the Robinsons had developed a simple method for adding deuterium to produce deutronium. As the beryllium hydride came up from the ground, Judy would conduct an application process to fuse it with the deuterium and produce refined deutronium.

Each canister could be treated and sealed in about 45 minutes. Don thought the Jupiter 2 would burn 103 canisters of deutronium during its flight to Alpha Centuari. Judy and Dr. Smith were close to topping out at 139 – so if Don was right, they would have 36 canisters in reserve. Under normal circumstances, traveling at more conventional speeds, that should be enough to take the Jupiter on a typical planet-to-planet voyage, but it wouldn't be enough to fuel the sort of space wandering they'd been doing for the past three years.

If they didn't find a suitable planet for colonization in the Alpha Centauri system, they would have to look for more fuel wherever they could make a landing, or they would not be able to make it back to Earth.

"Judy dear," Dr. Smith said, interrupting Judy's mental calculations, "you've given me no instruction for some time now. Is the rotation speed correct, or do I need to adjust it. I've no doubt that if we fall short in our mission, your father and Major West will surely lay the blame at my feet."

Judy looked up.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Smith. The rotation speed is fine. One more day of this and we should be completely stocked. Hold steady and we can wrap up with this last canister for today."

"At last," Dr. Smith said with relief. "This sort of monotonous repetition is simply not agreeable for a man of my intellect, you know."

Judy smiled at him.

"Your help has been wonderful," she told him. "I couldn't have possibly done this without you, Dr. Smith."

Judy had always been the one to defend Dr. Smith, more than once preventing him from being physically accosted by a furious Don West, who would probably not restrain himself for any reason other than a desire to please Judy.

It wasn't that Judy had any illusions about Dr. Smith's true nature. She understood that he was self-centered and untrustworthy – and she had never quite accepted his story of how he ended up aboard that Jupiter 2 at takeoff – but Judy viewed all humans as inherently flawed, and she didn't like to see Dr. Smith hurt as a result of the recriminations he undeniably deserved.

There had to be some good in him, she thought, and because she had stood up for him in the past, she had managed to earn a sort of pseudo-loyalty from him, even if it was only because Dr. Smith recognized he couldn't afford to alienate a friend.

Dr. Smith was closer to Will insofar as they spent more time together and shared similar recreational interests. But when Dr. Smith's meddlesome nature got the better of him, Will wasn't always so willing to come to his defense. Judy was, and that laid the groundwork for a connection that Dr. Smith was loathe to jeopardize.

John Robinson recognized this, which was one of the reasons he didn't hesitate to send Smith along as Judy's assistant on the deutronium mining project. While Don saw it as pure foolishness to trust Smith with any kind of responsibility whatsoever – especially one so vital to the success of a perilous mission – John believed Smith's loyalty to Judy would bring out his best effort, such that it was.

As Judy inspected the collection of deutronium canisters filled throughout another day's work, with a consistent if less than heroic contribution from Dr. Smith, it appeared her father's instincts had been borne out.

One more day, and the fuel would be ready.


	3. Chapter 3

_I own a syndicate. I am Italian._

**Chapter 3**

Neyora is the second planet in the Lalande 21185 star system, which is approximately 8.5 light years from Earth, and at times, about the same distance from Alpha Centauri as the Sun. Few planets in the galaxy share more characteristics with Earth than Neyora – a fact well known to the Neyorans, but entirely outside the knowledge of those on Earth, who are only vaguely aware of the possibility that planets even exist in the Lalande 21185 system.

Neyora, at 32,000 miles in diameter, is home to 13 billion human-type life forms, although the Neyorans are different from Earthlings in crucial ways.

An interminably humid atmosphere on Neyora requires a combination of human-style lungs and gill-like organs – located on either side of a Neyoran's neck – in order to accommodate breathing. Neyorans have discovered they can breathe in a less humid atmosphere, but require constant hydration to compensate if they find themselves in an atmosphere with humidity like that which would be typical on Earth.

Neyoran metabolism is also quite different – much faster than on Earth – and Neyorans need to consume the equivalent of 10,000 calories per day in order to maintain even minimal weight. The need for so much food consumption, combined with the planet's exploding population, had created social and political upheaval on Neyora.

Global and regional governmental authorities tried to combat the problem by funding the development of a pellet-like dietary substance that would provide Neyorans with the subsistence they needed, but social unrest resulted because wealthier Neyorans could afford more appealing dietary supplements, leaving the less well-off to grumble as they settled for the unappetizing pellets.

Political upheaval had reached a crescendo in recent years as a separatist group rose up, convinced that Neyora was quickly reaching its capacity to support life. The group also launched fevered criticisms of Neyoran government officials at all levels, accusing them of subsidizing heavy, polluting industries that put added strain on planetary life forms while adding to the economic disparities that they believed had led to so much social instability.

Supported and bankrolled by a wealthy industrialist who developed a fleet of his own private spacecraft, this group – enjoying the support of about 20 percent of the planet's population – was determined to find a new planet to colonize. On such a planet, they would seek to engage in the sort of agrarian lifestyle and economy they so stridently advocated for Neyora – but without success.

Their target for colonization? Alpha Prime, the first planet of the Alpha Centauri star system. While they knew Alpha Prime's atmosphere to be far less humid than that on Neyora – much like the distant planet known as Earth in the Sun solar system – its temperature and water supply were believed to be favorable enough that Neyorans would be able to adapt to life there with little problem.

But the colonization movement was strictly a private undertaking. No governmental entity officially backed it or funded it, which meant the hopes of would-be colonizers depended entirely on the good graces and resources of a man known as Brile.

Brile was one of Neyora's wealthiest citizens, and his wealth was exceeded only by his flamboyance. His investments in everything from technology to entertainment to space travel invariably rankled authorities. But he wasn't breaking any laws. He was just making a spectacle of himself, and he had the means to bankroll his own narcissism. Like Earth, Neyora had no law against that.

Within the ranks of Brile's sycophants, however, there arose two distinct camps of prospective colonizers. While neither could exactly be described as moderate, one was motivated primarily by its fear-driven conviction that Neyora offered them no future. This group, whose most influential figure was a man named Irmaslin, diligently organized people who wanted to leave the planet and tried to work with Brile to determine who would get to go, and in what phase.

Brile had developed 250 operational spacecrafts that could each carry about 100 Neyorans. Given enough pilots, it was therefore possible for 25,000 Neyorans to leave for Alpha Prime every three or four months, so those in Irmaslin's group were focused on positioning themselves for a slot and hoping their time would come soon.

A second group, however, was far more radical. Their leader was named Nickas, and they not only wanted to leave Neyora, they also wanted to inflict punishment on the planet's global and regional governments – violent if necessary – because of what they considered the unsustainable ecological policies that had brought Neyora to the brink of global overcapacity.

Brile was not particularly sympathetic with Nickas's agenda, but the group had developed important navigation technology, known as TrydLix, without which the trips to Alpha Prime would not be feasible. Brile had little choice but to tolerate Nickas and his supporters within the larger group of colonizers, and didn't object so long as they didn't jeopardize the larger effort.

More than 400 pilot trainees were in various stages of training for the Alpha Prime missions, with about 15 of them being very close to Nickas personally and philosophically. One of these, Lugrias, was also very familiar with TrydLix, the navigation technology that would help ensure safe passage of each group of colonizers.

Lugrias had argued to Brile that at least one spacecraft should make the journey as soon as possible – loaded with supporters of Nickas, of course – to scope out the planet. Brile resisted, insisting that the mission should proceed deliberately and that nothing was to be gained by sending any party ahead before the entire fleet was ready to go.

This frustrated Nickas, Lugrias and others in their circle to no end. If Alpha Prime was as hospitable as reports had indicated, they feared that colonizers from another world may have their sights on it as well. TrydLix not only created navigation models, but was also able to detect present or approaching signs of life – as well as any radio waves or other communication signals that might indicate another life form was investigating travel to Alpha Prime.

And that was the function that prompted Lugrias to request an urgent audience with Nickas.

_(Note: Neyora has its own language, which is nothing like English or any other Earth language, but for the purposes of this story the Neyorans' conversations with each other will be translated into English.)_

"Nickas," Lugrias said, "the TrydLix readings indicate something troubling."

Lugrias put the reading on his display.

"It's a navigation signal from Ferhinth to the Alpha Centauri system," Nickas said, basically affirming that he understood what Lugrias already knew. "Ferhinth? Since when are there life forms on Ferhinth capable of emitting such signals?"

"We doubt there are any such native life forms," Lugrias said. "But we sent a Tryd signal to do an assessment of the planet, and look at this."

He brought up a second image on the display. A blue area on the globe displayed the presence of advanced life forms. Lugrias then closed in for a more detailed view of the objects on the ground.

Nickas was stunned.

"What is that?" he said, staring at the large, disc-shaped object with an open hatch and windows.

"It's a spacecraft," Lugrias said. "And look at these."

He brought up a series of photos showing life forms milling about outside the spacecraft.

"They're not from Ferhinth," Nickas hypothesized.

"No, they're not," Lugrias agreed. "They appear to be from Earth."

"Earth?" Nickas repeated incredulously. "How could they have gotten all the way to Ferhinth?"

Lugrias raised his left elbow, the Neyoran equivalent of shaking your head.

"We don't know," he said. "They could be lost. They could be refugees. They could be in exile. All we know is that we've detected five of them, three male and two female, along with what appears to be a functional mechanical entity of some sort. And they're sending navigation signals back and forth between their location and the Alpha Centauri system. Frequent signals. They're getting more frequent by the day. And the activity depicted in the photos suggests they're preparing for takeoff."

Nickas studied the photos.

"This represents a serious threat," he said. "If the Earth people reach Alpha Prime before we do, there is no telling how they will impact the planet's environment. Earth is hyper-industrialized. It's far worse than Neyora. Our dream of an ecologically sustainable climate and lifestyle on Alpha Prime can't possibly square with the presence of Earth people."

Lugrias thought for a second. He decided to play devil's advocate.

"We don't actually know they're headed for Alpha Prime," he said. "Their navigation signals only go to the Alpha Centauri star itself. It's a leap of logic to assume Alpha Prime would be their destination."

"It's a reasonable one," Nickas interjected. "Alpha Prime is the only planet in that system that could support Earth life. There is no other place in the Centauri system that would serve as a desirable destination for them. They have to be going to Alpha Prime. And we have to stop them."

Lugrias looked stoic.

"How?" he asked, knowing he was about to get an order.

"Destroy them all," Nickas demanded. "Before they have a chance to leave Ferhinth."

Lugrias affirmed his orders.

"It will be done," he said, and left the room.

* * *

Penny Robinson went through one of her final checks of the Jupiter 2's in-flight electrical system. During their three-year voyage, it had sustained a fair amount of damage as a sequence of incidents had left their mark on the ship.

Just a young adolescent when the Jupiter 2 left Earth, and even now only 16, Penny had trained herself to understand the ship's technical workings and to be able to perform crude repairs where necessary. Alpha Control had certainly not anticipated the detours the group would face, but it had followed procedure by equipping the ship for worst-case scenarios – so when Penny found a system in need of repair, she could find the spare parts she needed in the cargo hold below the lower living quarters.

While Penny worked the electrical panel, Maureen was getting the lower cabins ready for what could be a long period of seclusion inside the ship. No one was sure that they would find a planet in the Alpha Centauri system that could sustain human life. That had been the supposition of Alpha Control in commissioning the Jupiter 2 mission in the first place, but everyone always understood that it was a risk.

If the Robot left the ship to assess a planet's environment, and returned to report it was uninhabitable, the Jupiter crew would face a difficult decision. They would be safe inside the ship, but eventually they would have to take off and find another destination. The original journey had provided them with enough fuel cells to return to Earth in that event. But after everything that had happened, they considered themselves fortunate to have found enough fuel on their current planet to make the trip to Alpha Centauri. They wouldn't have nearly enough – if the planet they chose didn't suit their needs – to get back to Earth. And finding more would be tough if they ended up on a planet where they couldn't even breathe the atmosphere.

The decision to shoot across the galaxy, flying in the face of all sorts of objects in space, was the biggest risk they had taken since the day they left Earth, October 16, 1997. But having taken that first risk, and seeing a chance to finally reach their destination, every member of the party agreed – perhaps only grudgingly in the case of Dr. Smith – that this new risk to their own lives was worth it.

Maureen ascended to the upper level to check on her two youngest children. She marveled as Penny toiled away at the Jupiter 2's communication system, which would have to be restored to its original operational condition if the Robinsons hoped to contact Alpha Control upon their arrival to the Alpha Centauri system. She gazed at Will, who was fixated on his computer navigation models.

It was almost absurd to realize that how young they still were – Will 14, Penny 16 – and yet trusted with such important responsibilities. But to see the maturity of these two during this difficult three-year voyage was a joyful experience for which Maureen had no words. Taken away from their world and launched on a journey the likes of which no one could have predicted, both had risen to the occasion, grown up ahead of their time and become the kind of young people who would make any parent swell with pride.

Of course, they were still brother and sister.

"You gonna fix that radio so we can tune in a rap station, dork?" Will intoned.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Penny came right back. "I know you were hoping for some Michael Bolton or maybe a little Engelbert Humperdink. Sorry we don't play requests from the dweeb brigade."

"Dweeb would be a promotion for you."

"Geek."

"Spaz."

"Wank."

"_Ahem!" _Maureen interrupted.

"Hi Mom," Penny said with a sly smile in Will's direction.

"How goes the radio repair," Maureen asked.

"So far so good, as far as I can tell," Penny said. "Of course, it's hard to test it when we're not within range of any meaningful signals. I mean, I think it's working. But it's just like with the thrusters. We could get out in space and they could do nothing at all. When we get to Alpha Centauri, we could try to contact Earth and get nothing. I don't _think_ that's what's going to happen, but until we're there and we try it, there are no guarantees."

"Well," Maureen replied philosophically, "I don't think any of us expect much in the way of guarantees – certainly not after everything we've already been through. We have to look at this as an opportunity, and do everything we can to give it a chance to success, without fixating on the chance that it might not."

"Mom," Will said in a considerably more reflexive tone, "I've been thinking about something, and I guess it's one of those things we couldn't do anything about even if we knew – but how can we be sure that Alpha Control is still on board with our mission?"

Penny looked at him, not sure what to say. Will continued.

"I mean, who knows what's happening on Earth?" he said. "They send us hurtling through the galaxy three years ago. Obviously they've noticed that they've lost contact with the Jupiter. I mean, they probably think we're all dead by now."

"Don't you think that if they hear from us, they'd make the mission a priority again, even if they have moved on to other things?" Penny asked.

"I don't know," Will said. "They were so convinced that humanity needed to find a new planet to colonize because of overpopulation, and they spent all this money on this mission. You know how politics works. If they've thought for the past three years that the mission failed, there would be all kinds of hell to pay. How do we even know Alpha Control still exists? How do we know they didn't take away its funding and dismantle the whole thing?"

Maureen just paused for a second. She'd had the same thoughts. In the back of her mind, she recalled that a presidential election in the United States was about a week away. It was quite possible that the failure of the Jupiter 2 mission – or so they would think back on Earth – could be one of the leading issues. Probably one side was denouncing it as a huge mistake and a waste of money, and it was equally possible that Will's scenario was correct. Maybe the whole thing had already been shut down. Maybe when they reached Alpha Centauri and got on the transmitter to contact Earth, there would be no one to receive the call.

"Will, Penny," Maureen said. "It's true, we've been away from Earth for a long time, and a lot can happen in three years. But I have to believe that if they hear from us, that, too, will change things, and as Penny says, it will become a priority to make the most of what we've accomplished. We just have to believe that."

Will nodded. Penny went back to tinkering with the radio. Liftoff was a day away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I own a bike that uses little or no deutronium.

**Chapter 4**

Rengrola, one of the best-trained pilots among those preparing to fly Brile's private spacecraft from Neyora to Alpha Prime, was called into a private meeting with Lugrias, also a top pilot and a confidant of Nickas – the leader of the more radical would-be colonizers.

"We've detected a threat that originates on the planet Ferhinth," Lugrias explained. "Nickas has given me orders to see to it that the threat is eliminated. I believe you are the pilot most capable of successfully completing the mission."

"Ferhinth?" Rengrola repeated. "What kind of threat could come from there?"

"It appears to be some sort of renegade group from Earth," Lugrias said. "We're not sure how or why they're there, but they've clearly set their sights on Alpha Centauri, and it seems certain that the only place in the Alpha Centauri system they could possibly be going is Alpha Prime."

Rengrola looked at the data by which the TrydLix navigation system had detected the Earthlings' signals.

"Have you looked at this?" Rengrola asked. "At their course? Why would they even attempt this? They're going to be flying headlong into every kind of imaginable hazard in space."

Lugrias knew what Rengrola was getting at.

"I understand," Lugrias said. "But we have our orders. Besides, the fact that they are planning to travel such a course frankly makes me wonder what they're capable of. These may not be the kind of people we want to take a chance of encountering on Alpha Prime."

"Well I don't think we have anything to worry about, Lugrias," Rengrola said confidently. "We don't need to go to Ferhinth and attack them. They're committing suicide just by going through with this flight."

Lugrias stood up and spoke more firmly.

"We've been given an order, and right now, _you're_ being given an order. The Earth people are to be destroyed before they can take off. Is that understood?"

Rengrola shrugged. Orders were orders. It didn't matter to him if he thought it was necessary or not. He just did his job. But he did have one worry.

"How am I supposed to get access to a spacecraft to execute the mission?" Rengrola wanted to know. "You can't seriously tell me Brile is on board with this."

Lugrias waved off his concern.

"Be at Launching Pad B-8 tonight at the 18th Hour (roughly midnight) and a spacecraft and crew will be prepared for you – along with the weaponry you will need."

Rengrola stood up.

"I'll be there," he said.

* * *

Judy and Dr. Smith were in the process of transporting the deutronium canisters back to the Jupiter 2. Just as they had expected, they had mined 139 canisters, all of which had to be transported very carefully, which meant they couldn't transport more than 12 at a time. That meant 12 trips back and forth between the caves and the ship, but the satisfaction of having completed the mining task made the back-and-forth trips seem more bearable.

True, Dr. Smith had "helped" in his own inimitable way, but Judy had had reasonable expectations about what he would contribute, and given his limited and fairly simple role, he had performed it OK and with a minimum of complaining. Judy was more than pleased with the way things had gone, and much of the time she had actually enjoyed the banter with him while they performed an often boring and repetitive task inside the various caves.

"Ah yes, Judy, what a sense of sweet satisfaction it is to have completed this arduous but crucial task," Smith declared.

Judy smiled.

"We made a good team, didn't we, Dr. Smith?"

"Indeed, indeed," Smith agreed. It made him happy to hear Judy say that. He hadn't often felt part of the team during his years with the Robinsons and Major West – not that he had anyone but himself to blame for that, but he often felt that he wasn't given a fair chance, even granting that his sporadic efforts were rather meager.

"This is it, Dr. Smith," Judy said. "The last shipment. We gather up these canisters and haul them back to the Jupiter, and we'll have the fuel we need for the flight."

"That, dearest Judith, is the best news I have heard all day," Smith announced.

* * *

Don inserted the fuel canisters into position to inject the deutronium into the Jupiter 2's engine. He could insert 25 at a time, but it would be simple to insert more during the flight to Alpha Centauri as needed.

John tested the instrument controls and the electrical systems while Penny watched. The last item successfully tested to John's satisfaction, he put his arm around his younger daughter.

"Darling, where did you learn to handle electrical systems so masterfully?" he wondered aloud with pride. "It seems like only yesterday you were playing with dolls."

Penny beamed.

"There's no place to buy dolls up here in space, Dad," Penny said. "A girl's gotta learn to adapt to her circumstances."

For a moment, John felt guilty – guilty about tearing his children away from their lives only to have things go so awry. There were no toy stores, no movie theaters, no opportunity for dates (that made John feel both guilty and a little relieved) and no chance to go to school, join the marching band or play sports. Not for the Robinson children. They would map space navigation models and fix spacecraft electrical systems.

John found it amazing that they had so rarely complained. The family had discussed the trip at length before they made the decision to volunteer as Alpha Control's guinea pigs, so to speak, but the expectation was five years of suspended animation from which they would wake up having reached Alpha Centauri, and presumably having found themselves in the presence of a planet that could serve as a new home for much of humanity.

The kids voted yes – all three of them. Saving humanity seemed like a worthy enough cause for which to sacrifice much if not all of their youth. But when the extra weight from their reluctant stowaway sent the Jupiter off course and they all found themselves waking up just a few hours into the flight, what should have been an exciting journey became a long, hard slog.

John thought about how proud he was of his kids. And at that moment, he focused on Penny. She was only 16. She was smart. She was becoming more beautiful by the day. She deserved a chance to grow up, make a future for herself, get married and live a happy life. He made himself a promise that he would do whatever he had to do to give Penny that chance.

"Dad! Yoo hoo!"

John snapped back to the present. It was Will, trying to get his attention about the navigational models.

"I'm sorry, son," John said, recovering quickly. "Where do things stand with the navigational models?"

"The Robot and I have been tracking the movement of the various star systems and all the other kinds of space debris in the parts of the galaxy we'll be traveling across, Dad," Will explained. "It's all held to the models we first drew up nine days ago, which means our course should remain unaltered."

John nodded approvingly.

"Good work, son. No, great work. You too, Robot."

"Thank you, Professor Robinson," the Robot replied.

"I couldn't have done it without him, Dad," Will said, motioning toward the Robot.

Maureen emerged from the lower level and took note of all the bustling activity.

"If I didn't know better I'd think this crew is preparing for an important mission," Maureen said with a playful tone in her voice.

Penny came over and gave her mother a hug. Maureen wasn't sure what prompted this, but she would never fail to enjoy a loving embrace from one of her children.

"What was that for, dear?" Maureen asked.

"Just for being you," Penny said. "And because I'm proud of the way our family has held together during the past three years, and I'm excited about what we're about to do."

"So am I, darling," John said, joining Maureen, and soon Will as well, for a group hug.

"Hey Don," Penny said. "You want in on this? You're practically part of the family too, you know. Sorry Judy's not here!"

At that, everyone chuckled a little, and even Don had to smile.

"I'd love to join the group hug as soon as I shut the trap door for the fuel containers . . ."

At that, everyone was taken aback when the Robot began waving his mechanical arms and issuing an urgent warning:

"Danger! Danger! A spacecraft is approaching in an extremely aggressive manner! Recommend that we regard spacecraft as hostile and consider the situation to be one of extreme danger!"

Don ran to the radar screen. The others crowded around.

"It's coming fast all right," Don said. "It'll be on us in minutes!"

John grabbed the transmitter.

"Spacecraft, identify yourself!" John barked into the microphone. No reply. Radar indicated the spacecraft was bearing down.

"Activate the force field," John told Don.

"We can't," Don said. "We already loaded the equipment for takeoff."

"Shit!" John exclaimed. "We need to get it back out there! Can we do it?"

"We'll have to try," Don said. "Penny, can you man the controls and activate the force field on my signal?"

"I can do it," Penny said confidently.

"OK," John said, "all the rest of us need let's get the equipment out there now!"

John, Don, Maureen and Will scurried to move the two force-field activators back outside the ship.

The Robot was still waving his arms.

"Estimated time of attack, 45 seconds!" the Robot warned.

Don and Maureen carried one activator down the ramp. John and Will quickly followed with the other. Don's back was killing him after two weeks lying under the ship performing the thruster retrofit, but this was no time to worry about pain. He moved as fast as he could in synchronization with Maureen.

The two teams positioned the activators approximately 60 feet apart. Inside, the Robot continued in maniacal warning mode.

"Estimated time of attack, 20 seconds!"

The activators in place, John and Don quickly flipped on the controls of their respective mechanisms.

"Dad, I can see it!" Will screamed, looking up in the sky. "I can see the hostile ship! It's huge!"

The controls now on, John ordered everyone, "Back inside the ship now!"

"Estimated time of attack, 10 seconds!" the Robot said urgently.

Don gave Penny the signal. She hit the control. The other four sprinted for the ramp.

"Estimated time of attack, two seconds!"

Will made it inside first, followed by Maureen and John. Don was just approaching the ramp when the Robot announced, "Hostile spacecraft has fired a missile! All hands take cover!"

The missile came at the Jupiter with blinding speed. John, Maureen, Will and Penny all hit the deck inside the ship. As Don's left foot made contact with the ramp to ascend into the ship, the missile hit the force field and exploded violently, throwing Don to the ground and up against a large rock next to the ship.

"My arm!" Don moaned in pain.

The force field had held, but more missiles were incoming. Inside, Will got up and looked outside. "Dad, they're firing more missiles! Dad, where's Don?"

The hatch still open, Maureen peered outside. She saw Don still writhing by the rock.

"Don!" Maureen cried urgently. "Don's hurt!"

"I'll get him!" John insisted. "Everyone else back inside the ship and stay down!"

Another missile slammed into the force field and exploded even more violently than the first.

John ran outside and helped Don up.

"Are you OK?" John asked.

"Yeah, mostly just stunned, but I think my arm might be broken," Don answered. "Whoever they are, they mean business."

"Let's get you inside," John said.

Don stood up and both men ran inside the Jupiter 2. Once they were safely inside, the force field still holding, John closed the hatch.

A flurry of missiles hit the force field. The force of the explosions shook the Jupiter. The sound was deafening. All five of the ship's occupants covered their ears and braced for the non-stop impact of the missiles connecting and exploding just feet above the top of the ship. In all their time in space, the Jupiter had never faced an attack of this intensity.

* * *

"Fire at will!" Rengrola barked.

The Neyoran triggerman fired another series of missiles. All they could see was a series of explosions on the surface. By now they had fired 26 missiles at the Earth ship. Their Tryd readings had indicated three male and two female life forms aboard the Earth ship as they approached it – the exact same number they had detected in their earlier readings – meaning a successful attack should wipe out all the Earthlings who were occupying Ferhinth.

"Should I fire more missiles?" the triggerman asked Rengrola.

Rengrola took in a visual, both on his display screen and directly through the window. Flames and smoke from the exploded missiles were still all he could see.

"Hold your fire," he said. "Let's give the smoke a chance to clear away so we can assess the damage."

"Roger," the triggerman replied.

They watched as the flames dissipated and the smoke began to drift away. Then they saw something they couldn't quite believe. A transmission came in from Neyora.

"Is the target destroyed?" Lugrias asked.

Rengrola looked at his screen. There sat the Earth ship, without so much as a dent in it.

"_Is the target destroyed?"_ Lugrias repeated.

Rengrola picked up his transmitter.

"Target not destroyed," he reported. "I repeat, target _not_ destroyed."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I am the mother of Sarah Palin's baby!

**Chapter 5**

Judy and Dr. Smith lay flat on the ground inside the cave. The explosions they heard were undoubtedly coming from the direction of the Jupiter 2. They were preparing to wheel the last collection of deutronium canisters – seven in all – when they heard the blasts begin.

Judy had her hands on the makeshift wheelbarrow they had fashioned for the job. Dr. Smith had their two laser rifles, always on hand just in case of emergency, slung over his shoulder. The first sound of impact shook the ground beneath the cave, prompting both of them to abandon their respective cargo and hit the deck.

Their faces pressed against the dust, their hands clasped atop their heads, they braced themselves as the sounds pierced their eardrums and the blasts shook the foundations around them. Again and again, explosions shattered the peacefulness of the day, until a lull finally set in – and they slowly lifted their eyes to look at each other, then glanced toward the cave exit.

Neither one said anything at first. Judy ran to the exit and looked in the general direction of the Jupiter. The air was filled with dark, rising smoke.

"Dr. Smith, look!" Judy said. "There's been a huge explosion!"

Smith took one look at the smoke, began breathing quickly and heavily, then lost himself to hysterics.

"Oh dear!" he exclaimed. "They've all been killed! The Jupiter 2 has been destroyed! No! _No! It can't be! We're trapped here forever now!"_

"Dr. Smith, get ahold of yourself!" Judy snapped. "We don't know for sure what's happened yet!"

"Judy, don't you see that?" he barked back impatiently, pointing to the rising smoke. "There's nothing else on this God-forsaken planet that could explode that violently! The Jupiter 2 is gone! _It's gone! Your entire family has surely perished! As will we shortly!"_

"Dr. Smith, shut up!"

"_All hope is lost, Judy! We're going to starve to death and die here!"_

Judy got in Smith's face, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and slammed him against the wall of the cave, shouting:

"Dr. Smith, shut the fuck up!"

Smith's head slammed into the wall of the cave and he fell to the ground. The cave looked like it was spinning for a few seconds, and he rubbed what would surely turn out to be a pretty serious bruise on the back of his head.

"My head!" he cried. "Oh the pain, the pain!"

"Will you put a sock in it?" Judy demanded.

"Why did you throw me against the rocks?" Smith pleaded to know.

"Because you were pissing me off," Judy snapped back. "We don't know what's happened over there. We don't know if anyone's dead. We just don't know, Dr. Smith. For all we know, people are injured and need help, and you're the only fucking doctor we have, so you'd better pull yourself together and get ready to go help people if they need it. Now put a lid on your doom and gloom shit and come with me back to the Jupiter!"

Smith nodded. He rubbed the back of his head again. It hurt, but he wasn't about to say anything more because he didn't want to get thrown against the wall again.

"Oh," Judy added. "And toss me my laser rifle. You'd better take yours too."

Armed with their laser rifles, they exited the cave with the intention of sprinting toward the Jupiter – both fearing that they would find nothing but rubble and bodies. But they only got a few feet outside the cave before Dr. Smith shrieked:

"Judy! Up in the sky! Look!"

Judy looked up and observed a massive spacecraft, easily three or four times the size of the Jupiter 2, hovering above the rising smoke.

"Holy shit, what is that?" Judy said, then directed Dr. Smith: "Quick! Back in the cave!"

Both returned to the cave entrance as quickly as possible.

"Do you think they saw us?" Smith asked.

"I have no idea," Judy said. "They're not firing in this direction, at least not yet, so maybe that means they didn't. Maybe it means nothing at all. But that thing looks like it could cause a hell of a lot of damage if it wanted to."

"That spacecraft must have attacked the Jupiter 2! It must have destroyed it!"

Judy didn't respond right away. She just peered at the giant craft. It was white with a hint of silver shine, and far more aerodynamically designed than the disc-shaped Jupiter 2. It seemed to be hovering in a completely still position.

"Why is it just sitting there?" she asked. "Are they going to land?"

"Perhaps they can't land because of the explosions and smoke coming from the ground," Smith speculated.

That, Judy thought, could very well be the case. But it still seemed risky to venture out and chance the apparently hostile ship spotting them. Still, they had to determine the condition of the Jupiter 2 and of the other Robinsons and Major West.

Don. Judy's heart sank. Their feelings for each other had been affirmed many times with their eyes and their body language and a few quick touches. She had always intended to make her feelings known, once the larger group's state of indefinite limbo was resolved one way or another. She had to now acknowledge the possibility that Don was dead – not to mention her entire family – and that her chance was lost forever.

But she snapped herself back to a mode of steely resolution. If her loved ones _were_ alive, and needed help, it would be up to her and Dr. Smith to get to them.

"Dr. Smith," Judy said, "we have to try to get to the ship."

"But how?" he protested. "They'll destroy us for sure!"

"Not if they don't see us," she said. "We'll have to move from rock to rock carefully. If they take an aggressive posture toward us, at least we have our laser rifles to protect ourselves."

"What chance would one of these have against a monster ship like _that?_" Smith demanded.

Judy couldn't deny that was a good question, but she recalled that Will had taken down a creature at least 60 feet tall with one of them soon after their first crash landing. It's not as if they weren't highly powerful weapons. They would be better than nothing.

* * *

"How can the target not be destroyed?" Lugrias barked angrily into his microphone.

Rengrola gazed at the screen as the smoke continued to drift away. He was trying to figure that out too. He zoomed in with his display, and the closer his picture of the Earth ship became, the clearer it was that it had sustained no damage whatsoever. The ground looked a bit disturbed around it, and even a few large rocks looked like they had fallen over or rolled a bit. But the Earth ship itself was untouched.

"Lugrias, I can't tell you for sure why the target wasn't destroyed," Rengrola said. "We fired 26 laser-guided missiles and both your display and mine clearly showed that they went directly toward the target and detonated on contact. Twenty-six laser-guided missiles in a row did not all miss their target. Something is protecting that ship."

"Something like what?" Lugrias demanded. "Destroy it, whatever it is!"

"I don't _know_ what it is," Rengrola barked back, a little annoyed that he was being dressed down as if this were his fault. "I can't see anything but the ship itself. They may be under the protection of some sort of electromagnetic shield that's not visible to the naked eye."

Neither one said anything for a second. Rengrola wasn't sure what he should do next.

"What are your orders, Lugrias?" he asked.

"Hang on," Lugrias said.

Rengrola waited for Lugrias to return with his orders. He figured he was briefing Nickas, who surely would not be happy.

"Rengrola," Lugrias said, "is there a place for you to land?"

"We can land," he replied. "Ferhinth is a pretty barren place. But what are we supposed to do once we're on the ground?"

"We're going to try to determine if it will be possible for you to launch a ground assault," Lugrias explained.

_Great_, Rengrola thought. His ship and crew hadn't been equipped for a ground battle. They had weapons, sure, but why would they have any better luck getting through the Earth ship's shield than 26 laser-guided missiles? Why couldn't Lugrias and Nickas just let this go? The Earth people's chances of getting to Alpha Centauri didn't look too good if Rengrola had read their navigation plan correctly, so this entire assault seemed to him like overkill.

But here they were. And they had their orders. Rengrola knew how to follow orders, be they wise or otherwise. He activated his landing gear and began his descent.

* * *

Don gazed up in the sky. The smoke had cleared away enough that he could see the hostile ship still hovering in the sky above. John, Maureen, Penny and Will picked themselves up off the ship's deck and came to the window.

"What just happened?" Penny asked with a hint of irony.

John shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly. "Someone doesn't want us here, that much is obvious."

"They're probably wondering why we're still in one piece," Maureen said. "Thank God for the force field, and good work on everyone's part getting it functioning just in the nick of time."

"That quick action saved all our lives, not to mention the ship," John said.

"Only problem is they don't appear to be going anywhere," Don said. "They're probably calculating their next move. Who could they be? What issue could they have with us?"

"Maybe this is their planet," Will suggested. "Maybe they've been away and they returned to find us here. Maybe they think we're invaders."

"I don't think so, son," John said. "This planet shows no sign of being inhabited by anyone who could construct and operate a ship like that. They have to be from somewhere else, and while I can't quite figure out the connection, I can't help but note the timing of their showing up the very day we're scheduled to leave."

"Our departure!" Will said in a sudden panic. "We're supposed to be off the ground in just over an hour! How will we ever make it?"

"I don't know, Will," John said. "And I think we have to consider the possibility that preventing us from taking off may be what this is all about."

"How would they know our plans?" Don asked.

"Beats me," John said. "We've been sending navigation signals across the galaxy. Maybe there are civilizations out there who can analyze that sort of thing. Robot, do you have any information about whether our navigation signals could tip someone off as to our travel plans?"

"Insufficient data," the Robot replied. "Whatever technology an unknown alien civilization may possess is beyond the information stored in my memory banks. I do agree, however, that there is no other plausible way an alien force could have learned of our plans – assuming this is the reason for their attack, and that is something we simply cannot know."

"Look!" Penny exclaimed.

Everyone looked out the window again.

"Warning! _Warning!"_ the Robot ranted with arms waving.

The Robinsons and Major West watched as this unexpected turn of events took another unlikely twist. Before their eyes, the hostile alien ship descended toward a landing.

* * *

"They're landing!" Dr. Smith bellowed. "They're coming after us!"

"Quick, this is our chance!" Judy said. "While they're focused on landing, they won't see us moving! Come on! Follow me!"

Judy and Dr. Smith began sprinting as fast as they could toward the Jupiter site. Passing rock after rock, their laser rifles still slung over their shoulders, they reached one of the larger rocks along the path. From the top of it, they would be able to see the Jupiter site, but for the moment they hid behind it while the hostile craft completed its landing.

"I have to climb up there and get a look at the site," Judy said.

"What if they see you?" Smith said worriedly.

"They won't," Judy assured him. "I'll stay down. You stay here and don't make a sound."

Smith stayed put while Judy scaled the rock the point where a slight elevation of her head would allow her to peer over the top. She took a deep breath – nervous about what she was about to see. She exhaled and raised her eyes.

"_Ohmygod!"_ she muttered quickly under her breath, her stomach jumping like rabbits. The Jupiter 2 was completely intact, with nary a scratch. Quickly, she ducked back down so the rock hid her.

"Dr. Smith," she said in a near whisper. "The ship is still there! It doesn't appear damaged."

Smith looked up at her in disbelief.

"How could that be?" he asked.

"I don't know," Judy said. "Maybe something else exploded."

"What else?" Smith demanded. "There's nothing else here."

"I know," Judy said. "Wait, the force field. Maybe they were able to activate the force field before the attack. That must be it. Oh thank God they're OK."

"Yes, thank God," Smith enjoined. "But what about _them!"_

He was pointing in the direction of the alien ship, which was now completely on the ground. Judy shimmied down the rock and rejoined Dr. Smith behind it on the ground.

"Well whatever they tried to hit us with, it had to be some serious ammunition," Judy said.

"Yes, and for all we know they have much, much more of it," Smith said.

Judy peered around the rock and looked again at the alien ship.

"They might," she said. "But we have one thing they don't have. The element of surprise. As far as we can tell, they don't know we're here."

* * *

John Robinson stared out at the massive, hostile alien ship that now sat on the ground approximately 200 yards in front of the Jupiter 2. No one had disembarked yet. As far as he could guess, they were sitting in their window staring back.

The Jupiter was safe as long as the force field held – and it had performed heroically in staving off a massive missile attack – but now the two sides were locked in a standoff. The alien ship clearly had more firepower than the Jupiter 2, so it would be foolhardy to de-activate the force field and engage in a firefight. But the window for their departure for Alpha Centauri was now 35 minutes and closing – Judy and Dr. Smith were God-knew-where – and even beyond that, the Robinsons and friends wouldn't be able to wait out the aliens forever.

Don stepped alongside John.

"Do we have any idea where Judy and Smith are?" Don asked.

"They were making their last deutronium run," John said. "Hopefully they were either inside the cave or, at the very least, as far away from here as possible."

"Do you suppose they heard the noise?" Don asked.

"That much noise was probably heard on Alpha Centauri," John said. "They're out there somewhere. Hopefully barricaded in the cave."

Will had been standing a few feet back listening to the conversation.

"You know, Dad, Don," Will jumped in, "Judy and Dr. Smith might be our best chance."

John turned around. "Our best chance for what?"

"Well," Will said, "they're the only ones outside the force field. If they did hear the blast and they know we've got hostile company, they'd be the only ones who could launch any sort of counterattack."

"Using what?" Don replied somewhat impatiently. "A couple of laser rifles? To go up against _that_ thing?"

"I'm just saying . . ." Will started.

"Will, I can see what you're getting at," John interrupted. "But with a couple of shoulder weapons, no combat training at all – and Dr. Smith, my God – I just hope to God they are safe inside one of those caves and the aliens don't realize they exist."

* * *

"What is your next move?" Lugrias demanded.

Rengrola scanned the landscape. The Earth ship was right in front of him, but apparently protected by some sort of invisible shield.

"I'm going to send two of my crew members to the surface to try to determine if the Earth ship might be vulnerable at ground level," Rengrola said. "If it is, we can fire missiles at them from here."

"Fine," Lugrias said. "Keep us apprised of the situation."

"I will," Rengrola said, and put down the transmitter, turning to two crew members who were equipped with space suits, because the Neyorans had yet to test the atmosphere on Ferhinth.

"Your instructions are simple," Rengrola said. "Take positions side-by-side, directly in front of each of our missile launchers, then fire your laser rifles at the Earth ship. Our objective is to determine if their invisible shield also protects them on the ground. If your shots hit the target, you'll have five seconds to clear yourselves from the path of the missile launchers before our missiles fire and destroy the Earth ship. Understood?"

Both confirmed that they understood the orders. Rengrola signaled the co-pilot to raise the hatch, and the two chosen crewman exited the ship.

From behind the rock, Judy and Dr. Smith heard something happening and peered around the rock to see what was going on.

"Egad!" Smith said. "Someone's coming out. We'll be incinerated."

"Will you shut up?" Judy snapped. "They don't even know we're here. They look like they're going to launch a ground assault on the Jupiter."

"They won't be able to fire through the force field," Smith insisted.

"I know," Judy said. "But we can get a clear shot at _them."_

"What are you suggesting?" Smith asked in a worried tone.

"Have you ever fired one of those things before, Dr. Smith?" she asked.

"Certainly not! Zachary Smith is not a common infantryman."

Judy rolled her eyes.

"It's baptism by fire, Dr. Smith," she said. "Take a position on the right side of the rock and don't emerge until you see me give the signal, which will be to raise my right hand. Then emerge, stand, fire at the alien nearest to you and return to where you are now."

Smith tried to remember all his instructions.

"Judy, are you sure this is a good idea?" he pleaded. "I suffer panic attacks when in pressure-packed situations, you know."

Judy clenched her teeth.

"There's no time for this, Dr. Smith! Now watch for my command! Get ready!"

The two Neyoran astronauts took their positions in front of the missile launchers.

Inside the Jupiter 2, all five crew members on board, plus the Robot, watched nervously.

"They can't fire through the force field, can they, Dad?" Will asked.

"I wouldn't think so, Will," John replied, although he wondered if the aliens knew something he didn't.

All five joined hands. As the aliens raised their laser rifles and prepared to fire, Maureen closed her eyes.

Judy raised her right hand. She jumped out from behind the rock on the left side, while Dr. Smith did the same on the right. Judy raised her laser rifle and fired. The flaming stream directly struck the side of the alien's space helmet and seared through his skull. His skin burned off his face and his brain was instantly melted into a mash of gray matter that splattered on the ground. What was left of his lifeless body plopped on the ground.

Dr. Smith fumbled with his weapon and fired wildly into the air. As his target turned to see him, he pointed his rifle at Dr. Smith, who yelped in a terrified tone, _"Nooooooooo!"_

As the alien reached for the trigger, his chest received 12,000 volts of laser-charged electricity, eviscerating his rib cage and tearing directly through his heart, throwing him 15 feet in the air and crashing his flaming body against a rock.

Dr. Smith, who by this time had covered his eyes with his hands, peeked out, saw the two dead aliens and looked to his left where Judy was slowly lowering her rifle.

"We got them, Judy my dear!" Smith exclaimed. "What a team we make, eh?"

"Holy shit!" Judy shouted, looking directly at the alien ship. Smith turned to look. The alien ship was now hovering about two feet off the ground, and turning to face in their direction.

"Run!" Judy cried. She and Smith took off as fast as they could, sprinting for the cave. Two more aliens leaned out of the alien ship and began firing their laser rifles at the fleeing Earthlings. The moving targets proved hard to hit, and they continually ended up hitting dirt or rocks in the foreground while Judy and Smith picked up speed.

The cave entrance in sight, Judy and Smith dove for the relative safety of the cave as the last remaining alien laser fire flew by just inches behind them.

"At last," Smith said, his breathing near hyperventilation, "at last we are safe."

"But for how long?" Judy replied. "They know we're in here, and whatever they fired at the Jupiter earlier could probably turn this cave into a pile of rubble in a second. We need to think of something, quick."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I own a bunch of cranky Neyorans, but no actual Lost in Space characters. I think I lost in that deal.

**Chapter 6**

The remaining crew on the Neyoran ship scrambled in a near-panic.

"Where did _they_ come from?" Rengrola demanded to know. He scrambled to the controls and began maneuvering the ship to turn in the direction from which the two unidentified Earth renegades had fired on the Neyorans.

"What's the report?" Lugrias demanded to know. "What's happening?"

"We have two men down!" Rengrola shouted into the transmitter. "Two men down! Turn the ship to aim the missiles at those two Earthlings!"

"_What happened to the two men?" _Lugrias asked in a rage.

Rengrola ignored him.

"Fire at the Earthlings! Fire at them!"

Two more crew members opened the hatch and fired their weapons, but the Earthlings had begun to flee and made for difficult-to-hit moving targets. Before the Neyorans knew it, the Earthlings had ducked inside a cave.

"_Report! Report! What is happening?" _Lugrias shouted.

"The Earth attackers are hiding in a cave!" Rengrola said.

"_Destroy the cave! Fire a missile at the cave!"_ Lugrias demanded.

"We are positioning to fire the missile," Rengrola reported.

* * *

"Are they dead, Dad?" Penny asked.

"Without a doubt, Penny," John replied. "They're about as dead as dead gets."

"Where did that laser fire come from?" Will wondered. "It had to be Judy and Dr. Smith! It had to be! There's no one else who could have done it!"

Don just looked on in amazement. Could it have been Judy – his not-so-secretly beloved Judy – who had taken down the hostile aliens? Don yielded to no one in his admiration of Judy, but he'd never thought of her as ready for combat duty. Even more bizarre, could it have been Dr. Smith?

"If Judy and Dr. Smith killed those aliens, they saved our lives," Maureen said.

"Well whoever did it saved our lives," John replied. "I can't wait to thank whoever it is. But we don't know for sure that those were the only aliens."

"Dad! Look!" Will exclaimed. "Their ship is turning away from us!"

The Robinsons and Major West watched as the alien ship hovered two feet off the ground and turned 90 degrees clockwise.

"Warning!" the Robot said. "Alien ship is engaging its missile launchers!"

"Judy!" Penny cried. "Are they going to fire their missiles at Judy? We have to do something!"

Don turned to John.

"We could deactivate the force field and fire on their ship. Maybe we could knock out the missile. They're not facing us right now and it doesn't look like they can turn that quickly. It might be Judy's only chance."

John nodded.

"Let's do it!" he said. "Penny, man the controls and disengage the force field on my command!"

Penny stood at the controls. John, Don, Maureen and Will took positions inside the opened hatch, each wielding a laser rifle.

"Disengage!" John barked. Penny did so.

"Fire!" John commanded. All four fired at the alien ship, doing little real damage but causing it to shake and experience turbulence.

* * *

"They're firing on us!" the Neyoran co-pilot said. "They're firing on us from their main ship!"

Rengrola watched as the laser fire from the Earth ship made impact.

"They're firing on us from the Earth ship!" Rengrola said. "We need to turn the ship back where it was and defend ourselves against their attacks! At this point they are the greater threat than the two in the cave! Lugrias, I am turning the ship back! This is my decision here on the ground!"

"Very well," Lugrias agreed reluctantly. "You have to defend your ship."

* * *

"They're turning the ship back toward us!" John said. "Penny, re-engage the force field now!"

Penny did. The others held their fire, only to find themselves ducking for cover as the alien ship immediately fired a missile at the Jupiter 2. It connected with the force field and exploded without damaging the Jupiter. John got up from the ground and looked at the alien ship. It was holding its fire.

"We succeeded in our mission," John said. "By forcing them to point their missiles back at us, we prevented them from attacking Judy and Smith, or whoever that was. Good job, everyone."

"Now what?" Will asked.

"Now," John said, "we're at a standstill once again."

* * *

Judy and Dr. Smith sat on the dust-covered floor of the cave, waiting for something to happen. They had heard the laser fire and another missile blast, then silence. By peaking out of the cave, they could see that the alien ship was still on the ground, now once again facing the Jupiter 2, so they figured the fight was not over. At this point, everyone was waiting for someone to make a move.

"How's your head, Dr. Smith?" Judy asked.

"It's in pain," he said. "I'll probably suffer a concussion."

Judy was still breathing fast from running back to the cave and ducking laser fire.

"I apologize for slamming you against the wall," Judy said. "It just seemed like I needed to get your attention so you could get ahold of yourself."

Smith dismissed the thought.

"In the heat of the moment, we can all do things," he said. "What happens now? Who are these horrible people? Why do they want to hurt us?"

"I wish I knew," Judy said. "But I can't imagine they're happy with us now that we've killed two of them."

Judy's thoughts were interrupted by the tears she noticed streaming from Smith's eyes. He tried to wipe the moisture away but his dusty hands complicated the job. As the moments went by, his sobs became more intense, and he hid his face inside his shirtsleeves.

"I'm sorry, Judy, I'm sorry," he said. "I just can't bear the thought that it could all end like this."

"Dr. Smith . . ." Judy started.

"I know this isn't helping anything," he said. "A man cannot help but think about his legacy at a time like this. I do realize the kind of man I've been, Judy. I do realize it. I've been nothing but trouble on this voyage."

"Dr. Smith, I don't even understand how you ended up on this journey," she said. "Why did you say you were aboard the ship at takeoff? Checking a valve you were worried about?"

"Of course, that's it, yes, Judy, that's it," Smith said. "Checking a valve."

"Dr. Smith, not to start a debate at a time like this, but that's never made sense to me," Judy said. "You were working on the base as a doctor. Why would you have been in charge of turning a valve?"

Smith, already emotional, was nervous now too.

"Everyone was pitching in during the final hours to ensure the success of the voyage," Smith said.

"Of course they were, Dr. Smith," Judy said. "I remember that General Venturi was in charge of the pressure systems. Did he ask you to tighten the valve? Or was it General McDonald from general operations?"

"It was General McDonald, dear," Smith said. "General McDonald made it clear that everyone needed to help prepare the Jupiter 2 for takeoff."

"I see," Judy said. "There's just one thing about that, though, Dr. Smith. There's no such person as General McDonald. I just made him up."

"What?" Smith retorted quickly. "Of course, it _was_ General Venturi."

Judy shook her head.

"Made him up too," she said. "Dr. Smith, why were you aboard the Jupiter?"

Smith began scrambling to his feet as if to head for the exit. Judy grabbed her laser rifle and pointed it at him.

"Freeze!" she said. "If you make for that door so help me I'll fire this thing right through your body! _Now sit down!"_

Smith held his hands in the air. He stood still staring back at Judy, his eyes betraying the terror he felt.

"_Sit down!"_ Judy ordered.

He did. She put her finger on the trigger and pointed the laser rifle at Dr. Smith.

"Tell me why you were on the ship," she demanded. "The truth. What were you doing there? I already know it's something you shouldn't have been doing, so tell me what it was."

"It had to do with the Robot," Smith said. "I was working for people who wanted me to reprogram the Robot. They were hoping he could do something to make them money . . ."

"_Who paid you!" _Judy demanded. _"Who were they?"_

"It was China!" Smith cried in near hysterics. "It was the Chinese. They paid me."

"_To do what?" _Judy was not letting up. _"What did they want you to do to the Robot?"_

"It's all very complicated to explain, Judy! I meant no harm to anyone!"

Judy thought back to the minutes after the Robinsons and Major West were awoken from the freezing tubes. She remembered that the Robot had ascended to the upper deck and gone berserk, wreaking all kinds of havoc and repeating over and over again, "Destroy spaceship! Destroy Robinson family!"

She remembered more. She remembered that Dr. Smith had been in control of the Robot for the first several days of the voyage, and only after Will had developed the ability to imitate Dr. Smith's voice could the others get the Robot to follow orders from anyone but him.

She was putting it together. If Smith reprogrammed the Robot, and the Robot was bent on destruction of the ship _and_ the Robinsons, then _that _must have been Smith's real mission. He was a saboteur.

"I remember what the Robot did! How he tried to destroy the ship!" Judy shouted angrily. "You told him to do that!"

Judy breath was reaching a fevered pitch.

"You tried to kill us!" she raged. "You tried to kill us all!"

Smith completely lost his composure and began weeping uncontrollably. Judy picked up her laser rifle and held it a few inches from the top of his bowed head, pointed straight at him.

"I should kill you right now!" she continued. "My God! You've been with us this whole time! We've fed you, cared for you. _I've_ defended you when you've caused us problem after problem!"

Smith looked up pleadingly.

"I'm so terribly sorry, Judy! I am a terrible, evil man! I didn't know what I was doing!"

"_You knew exactly what you were doing!"_ Judy insisted. _"You told the Robot to destroy the ship and us! You had no illusions about your orders! Did you? Did you??"_

"No!" Smith cried. "I didn't! I knew! I have no excuse! All I can tell you is that I've changed! I've changed, Judy! I've come to love your family, all of you! Even Major West! I've realized that you are a precious family of wonderful people! I can't tell you how many times I've suffered terrible mental anguish because of my guilt over what I tried to do!"

Smith continued to sob uncontrollably. Judy felt the trigger lean against her finger. She had never felt angrier, more betrayed. She thought about pulling the trigger. She thought about how she would explain that action to the rest of her family. She thought about living the rest of her life knowing she had killed a man.

Judy backed away and sat back down in the dirt. She put down the laser rifle.

"How much did they pay you?" she asked dispassionately.

Smith looked up. He wiped away the tears the best he could. Judy just waited.

"Fifty million dollars," Smith said. "Deposited in a Swiss bank account. I suppose it's waiting for me if I ever get back. I won't touch it, Judy, I promise you. It's blood money."

Judy was having a hard time imagining Dr. Smith turning down money.

"What was their objective?" she asked. "Why did they want you to sabotage our ship?"

Smith straightened up a little. He was starting to regain some composure.

"They planned their own colonization mission, but they were several years behind the American effort," he said. "They didn't want the U.S. to establish the first base and make it Americanized. They wanted a command-and-control-type government on the new planet like the one they have in China."

Judy just listened for a second.

"The only reason you didn't let us die was that you got trapped aboard and you needed Don's help when the ship hit the meteor shower," Judy said.

Smith stared back at her.

"You're right," he said. "Other than that, I would have let you all die."

She grabbed the rifle and pointed it at him again.

"And it would have been the most horrible decision of my entire life," Smith insisted. "Judy, you know my secret now. The secret I have feared coming to light for the past three years. The secret I had hoped to take to my grave. I have no excuse for my actions of three years ago. And I can't pretend I have been a model citizen on this journey. But after everything we've been through, do you really believe the Zachary Smith who has lived with your family for the past three years – the one who helped you mine the deutronium – would do today the same things the Zachary Smith of three years ago did?"

Judy lowered the rifle again.

"Were you raised with any values?" she asked. "Any morals at all? Any sense of right and wrong?"

"Yes," he said. "I can't blame anyone else. I was taught the right things. I didn't want to listen. I wanted to take what was mine, or what I felt should be mine. I became selfish of my own volition. No one else's."

"Even to the point that you would kill six people?" Judy pressed. "What kind of monster did you allow yourself to become?"

"A horrible monster!" Smith said. "A horrible one. And every day since then I've lived with the living reminders of the act I attempted. You and your family, and Major West. Oh Judy, I regret so deeply what I did. You have to believe me!"

Judy remained silent. Even though she was still angry beyond belief at what she had discovered, she realized that the experience of the past three years could have changed a man profoundly. She knew Dr. Smith to be self-centered and dishonest, but she had never thought him capable of being a killer. Even now, it was hard to believe.

"Judy," Smith sobbed. "I beg you to forgive me. I promise I have learned from this and I would never try to hurt you or your family ever again. Oh, dear Judy, please . . ."

"What time is it?" Judy suddenly asked.

That one certainly came from out of the blue, Smith thought.

She repeated: "What time is it?"

Smith looked at his watch. "It's 1:48 p.m.," he said.

"The liftoff!" Judy yelped. "We have to be in the air in 12 minutes to make our window to get to Alpha Centauri!"

"But the aliens!" Smith countered. "How can we possibly get to the ship? How could the ship take off?"

Judy stood up and started to pace manically.

"I don't know," she said. "We have to think of something."

She picked up her laser rifle and started waving it around, as if it would somehow help her come up with an idea.

"Judy, be careful with that thing!" Smith implored. "What if you accidentally fire on the deutronium canisters? Or _me?_"

Judy stopped.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I said be careful waving that thing around so you don't shoot me!" Smith said.

"No, before that," Judy said. "About the deutronium. What would happen if I shot the deutronium with the laser rifle?"

Smith looked horrified.

"Judy, you don't want to do_ that!_" he said. "That could cause an explosion to rival those bombs we heard going off on top of the Jupiter 2!"

Judy thought for a second.

"That's it," she said. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Smith asked with a horrified look on his face.

"The deutronium could fuel an explosion powerful enough to destroy their entire ship," she said. "We would have to get it next to their ship and hit it square on with the laser."

"How would we get it there?" Smith asked. "It's too big to throw, and it's too far anyway."

"I know," Judy said. She looked out at the alien ship. It was still facing the Jupiter 2 with its weapons ready to engage. She continued:

"If one of us could wheel the deutronium up to the base of their ship, and the other could hit it with the laser, it just might work."

Smith thought about the idea. His first instinct was to beg for triggerman duty, because he was scared to death that he couldn't get away from the deutronium in time to shield himself from the blast. But he remembered his performance at the rock. He displayed no ability whatsoever to handle the laser rifle, while Judy was an expert shot.

He also thought about the opportunity he had to prove to Judy that he was a changed man.

"How long would we have to get the deutronium there before they can turn their ship?" he said.

"Probably about 45 seconds," Judy said.

Smith stood up.

"I'll do it," he said. "You get in position with the laser rifle. I'll wheel the deutronium up to the base of the ship."

Judy was surprised. She'd been preparing herself for a debate with Smith over why she had to be the shooter. She hadn't expected him to volunteer to take the deutronium.

Smith expected her surprise.

"Judy," he said, "we both know I can't handle one of those rifles like you can. This is the best plan."

"I'll cover you from the top of the rock," she said. "They might come out and fire at you with _their_ laser rifles."

"I understand," Smith said.

"Once you drop off the deutronium at the base of their ship," Judy continued, "sprint away from the ship as fast as you can. I'll give you as much time as possible, but I have to fire before they can their ship to fire a missile at me."

"Judy," Smith responded. "just complete the mission."

Smith realized that if Judy still harbored any thoughts of killing him, this was a perfect opportunity. He decided that taking the risk was the price he would have to pay for the actions he could no longer hide.

Judy and Smith grabbed the makeshift wheel barrel and left the cave. They spotted a rock from which Judy could take her position and Smith could run toward the alien ship. Judy ascended the rock and laid on her stomach atop it, the laser rifle aimed at the hatch of the alien ship.

"On my order," Judy said.

Smith got ready.

"Now!" she said.

Smith emerged from behind the rock and ran as fast as he could toward the alien ship. Immediately, the hatch opened and three of the aliens took aim at Smith. Judy fired her laser, taking one of them out. The other two raised their rifles to fire at Judy, who ducked behind the rock.

Smith kept running. The hatch closed and the ship rose to a hovering position, turning quickly. Smith ran faster.

The alien ship reached a position pointing directly at Judy just as Smith arrived at its base. He quickly abandoned the wheel barrel and ran as fast as he could to his right – the opposite side of the ship from its side hatch, which meant the aliens wouldn't be able to fire their laser rifles at him.

Judy watched Smith run. The aliens adjusted their missiles to the armed position.

Smith ran faster. He was about 120 feet from the alien ship. That would have to be enough.

Judy fired at the deutronium canisters.

_BOOM!_

The sound of the explosion nearly deafened Judy. Flames rose 50 feet in the air. Debris from the alien ship scattered everywhere, at least 200 feet in every direction.

Smith hit the dust next to a rock. He felt the heat from the flames, seemingly inches from his body. Pieces of the alien ship soared over him.

Inside the Jupiter, the other Robinsons and Major West looked on in stunned disbelief as flames and debris scattered everywhere. As they dissipated, it became clear that the alien ship had been destroyed.

"Holy shit!" Maureen cried out.

"Mom!" said Penny, never having heard the slightest profanity pass her mother's lips.

"I'm sorry dear," Maureen said, catching herself.

"That explosion was the shit!" Will proclaimed with a big grin on his face. He looked at his mother. She glared at him.

"All right," John said. "What is this? HBO?"

"Can we direct our attention to what just happened?" Don asked.

Everyone looked out the window again.

"Robot, damage report!" John commanded.

"According to my computations, the alien ship has been completely destroyed," the Robot said.

Don looked at his watch. It was 1:56. Four minutes to launch. Where, he wondered, were Judy and Dr. Smith?

Judy jumped down from the rock and ran across the field to find Dr. Smith. She found him lying flat on his face, not moving. Judy knelt down at his side.

"Dr. Smith!" she pleaded. "Dr. Smith! Are you hurt? _Dr. Smith! Are you alive?_"

Judy put her hands under his chest and rolled him over onto his back. His eyes were closed. She listened to his chest. He was breathing. She slapped him on the cheek twice.

"Leave me alone, you bubble-headed booby!" Smith cried out.

"Dr. Smith! It's me! It's Judy! We did it, Dr. Smith! We destroyed the alien ship!"

Smith sat up.

"Oh! Judy! Oh my goodness! I'm alive! _I'm alive!"_

Judy smiled.

"Yes, you're alive, Dr. Smith!"

At that moment, they heard Don's voice coming toward them.

"Judy! Smith! Are you all right?" Don shouted.

"Yes, Don, we're OK!" Judy answered.

"Can you make it back to the ship under your own power?" Don asked. "We need to take off now!"

They quickly rose from the ground and high-tailed it behind Don, back to the Jupiter 2. As the three of them ran up the ramp, the others were waiting for them with quizzical looks on their faces.

"What happened out there?" Will asked.

"Oh nothing," Judy said. "Just had to blow up some alien jerks."

Will high-fived his sister. "How did you do it?" he asked.

"No time!" Don interrupted. "Everyone down below and strap in!"

Maureen, Penny, Will, Judy and Smith scurried toward the lower level. John and Don settled in at the controls. Thirty seconds to liftoff.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I am the change I have been waiting for.

**Chapter 7**

"Maureen, is everyone strapped in down below?" John Robinson asked his wife via the ship's intercom system.

On the lower level, Maureen did one last check. She, Will, Penny, Judy and Dr. Smith were all strapped into their reclining seats. Only the Robot was on the upper level along with John and Major Don West.

"Check, dear," Maureen said. "We are all secure and ready for takeoff."

"Thanks, darling," John said. "I love you."

"I love you too, and that goes for all of us," Maureen replied.

At the controls, Don unlocked the hover mechanisms that would lift the Jupiter 2 from the ground.

"I'll count down," Don said. "Five, four, three, two, one, liftoff!"

Don engaged the hover mechanism and the ship rose from the ground. Once it was in the air, he engaged the rocket boosters that would take it up and quickly accelerate so the Jupiter could break the planet's orbit. Once the ship reached 1,500 feet, Don hit the turbo accelerator and the ship rose quickly toward the outer edges of the planet's atmosphere – and on its way to its most ambitious and dangerous adventure yet.

"Hang on, everyone," Don said. "We're starting our first major acceleration, although it will be nothing like the one that's coming."

On the lower level, Maureen, the children and Dr. Smith gripped their hand rests and reclined as comfortably as they could while the ship hurtled toward the stars. Ascent always made Will's stomach feel a little queasy. Judy didn't feel any sort of motion sickness, just a twinge of nervousness from the realization that they were moving at such a high speed. Penny was sure she could feel the jowls of her cheeks flapping, but the one time in the past when she had said something about it, everyone just laughed at her.

Dr. Smith felt his life flash before his eyes every time they did this, and this particular day, he had already experienced more than his share of that feeling.

"OK," Will said, "there's no rule that we have to be silent while we're taking off. So spill it, Judy, Dr. Smith, what happened out there?"

Judy and Dr. Smith looked at each other. Where to start? Smith worried a bit that Judy would reveal the details of their discussion in the cave about his acts of sabotage, but if she had any such intentions, he didn't really think this would be the time.

"Well," Judy began, "when we heard all the explosions that I guess came from a flurry of missile fire from the aliens, Dr. Smith and I were terrified that you had all been killed."

"We almost were," Penny said. "We only got the force field in operation with about two seconds to spare."

"Before you get too far into this story," Maureen interrupted, "you might want to wait until we can all go up top so Don and your father can hear it as well."

Will and Penny groaned.

"Aw, come on, Mom!" Will pleaded. "I've gotta hear this!"

"Me too!" Penny insisted. "Remember, I operated the force field controls!"

"_You _did?" Judy asked.

"Yes I did!" Penny announced proudly.

"Awesome!" Judy said. "But I think Mom's right. It would only be fair to save the story until Dad and Don can hear it too."

"Oh, right, of course," Will snickered. "We need to make sure _Don_ knows that Judy Robinson is the kicker of alien ass."

"Damn straight!" Judy proclaimed.

Will looked over at Dr. Smith, who was just quietly taking in the entire conversation.

"You're awfully quiet, Dr. Smith," Will said.

"Oh, I'm just exhausted, William," Smith said. "It's been quite a day already, as I'm sure your sister will attest."

"Indeed," Judy said. "It's been _quite_ a day."

* * *

After continued attempts to reach Rengrola and his crew on the surface of Ferhinth, with no response, Nickas and Lugrias ordered up a TrydLix image to see what was happening there.

One view told the story. Spacecraft debris strewn in every direction. The ground where the ship had been hovering charred by flames and smoke. No sign of life whatsoever. And as if that were not bad enough, the Earth ship was gone.

Lugrias just stared at the still images for a few seconds. He had been the commander of this mission from the base. He knew it was on him to say something – to make it official, he supposed.

"It would appear," Lugrias began, "that the Neyoran vessel has been destroyed, and that there are no survivors."

He turned to look at Nickas, who sat silently, his hands folded. He was looking away – off to his left, gathering his thoughts. A look of barely restrained anger on his face, he turned toward his loyal deputy.

"Now do you see why the Earth people are a threat?" Nickas demanded.

"Clearly, I see," Lugrias said. "Regardless of how they took out our ship and our people, they are clearly a force to be reckoned with."

"Now we can presume they are on their way to the Alpha Centauri system!" Nickas said, getting up and beginning to pace the floor impatiently. "We have to stop them before they reach Alpha Prime!"

As he spoke, his communicator indicated he was receiving a call. He looked at the display. It was Brile. Nickas had known he would have to deal with this sooner or later. He sent the display to the main screen where he and Lugrias had been looking at the images of the destroyed spaceship on Ferhinth.

"Nickas," Brile began, "one of our spacecraft is unaccounted for. What do you know about this?"

Nickas couldn't risk lying to Brile. If Brile found out, there was no telling what he might do. He might cancel the entire colonization initiative. It seemed unlikely – with the money he had invested in it and the attention it was getting him across the globe – but Brile was impulsive. Nickas needed to divert his attention.

"The spacecraft was needed for a mission of the utmost importance," Nickas said, hoping Brile wouldn't ask many more questions. Brile could be bored with details, and Nickas hoped a tertiary explanation would satisfy him at least for the moment.

It didn't.

"What sort of mission?" Brile demanded. "Since when do you take my spacecraft without securing my permission first?"

"Time was of the essence and I didn't want to wake you!" Nickas insisted.

"What is this about?" Brile asked.

"We have reason to believe that colonizers from Earth may also be looking at Alpha Prime as a possible destination, so we dispatched a reconnaissance team to learn the Earth people's intentions."

"Hmm, well, what is their status?" Brile said.

"Not yet determined," Nickas said. "At present we are not in communication with them. We expect to resume communication shortly."

Lugrias looked at Nickas as if to say, _"You're on dangerous ground here."_

"Let's say," Brile said, "the group from Earth wants to colonize Alpha Prime as well. Is there any reason we couldn't co-exist with them peacefully? Another people with different skills might be useful in the creation of a new world."

"Certainly not!" Nickas insisted. "Earth is a very industrialized planet! It is not the kind of peaceful, agrarian society we envision for Alpha Prime."

"_You_ envision for Alpha Prime," Brile reminded him. "Not everyone who wants to participate in the colonization effort necessarily shares your exact vision on this, Nickas."

Nickas wasn't sure how to respond to the admonishment. All of his plans would go for naught if he lost access to Brile's fleet of spacecraft, and he couldn't pilfer all of them. Before Nickas had a chance to say anything, Brile wrapped up the discussion:

"I want a status report as soon as possible on the spacecraft you sent to Ferhinth without my authorization," Brile said. "My understanding is that Rengrola piloted that craft, correct?"

"Yes, he did," Nickas said.

"As soon as he returns, I want him to report to me personally," Brile insisted. "That is all for now, and don't do this again."

"Very well," Nickas said. "Thank you, sir."

Brile ended the transmission. Nickas looked at Lugrias.

"How long," Lugrias asked, "do you think you can keep him in the dark about the fact that the spacecraft is lost and Rengrola is dead?"

"Long enough to devise a more effective plan to stop the Earth colonizers," Nickas said. "It may be necessary to take a step that will cost us Brile's support permanently."

"How can we achieve our goals without his support?" Lugrias wondered.

"We only need him for access to the spacecraft," Nickas said. "And he's been hesitating about a pre-colonization journey to Alpha Prime. It may be time to take matters into our own hands – to put _our _movement at the forefront, be the first to reach the new planet and ensure that _our_ vision will reign supreme there."

"And what about the Earth people?" Lugrias asked.

"Obviously one spacecraft and crew were not enough to eliminate them," Nickas said. "They haven't reached Alpha Prime yet, and before they do, we need to make sure we rectify that mistake – decisively and permanently."

* * *

The Jupiter 2 was in a 17-minute holding pattern. Having broken free of the planet's gravity, it would need to time its thrust acceleration precisely in order to travel the course established by Will and the Robot via the computer models that helped them determine their location within the Milky Way galaxy.

During the break between ascension and forward thrust, the family had a little time to briefly leave their recliners below and mill about on the upper deck. It was a busy break – Will and the Robot were uploading the final navigation specs from Will's laptop to the ship's navigational system, and Don was synchronizing the ship's automatic pilot to follow those specs. At the same time, Don was running a final check on the retrofitted thrusters to ensure – as best he could – that they could take the Jupiter 2 up to the speed that would be necessary to maintain their course.

Even during final preparations, though, the group was abuzz over Judy's recounting of how she and Dr. Smith had managed to kill the entire group of hostile aliens and destroy their spaceship.

"I must say, Smith," Don said. "The image of you running up to that alien ship and pushing a wheel barrel full of deutronium canisters. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Clearly you've misjudged me, Major," Smith said matter-of-factly, without the bravado one might have expected from Smith after he had committed an act of such unlikely heroism.

"Clearly I have, I guess," Don said, extending his hand. "Thank you for what you did."

Smith took his hand. He and Don had been at each other's throats almost nonstop since their original flight, although they had a bit of a thaw when Smith actually saved Don's life during their encounter with a strange group of aborigines during their attempt to cap a volcano. But that had merely required Smith to exert more physical effort than he normally would – no small thing for him, but nothing compared to running headlong into the face of danger.

Still, it was clear to everyone that Judy had been the mastermind and the energy behind the effort.

"Darling, where did you learn to shoot like that?" John asked.

"Seven-11," Judy deadpanned, causing the entire group to bust up.

"OK, McFly," Will said. "Seriously, you were awesome out there. I think my big sister is my new hero."

"Mine too!" Penny agreed. "If we encounter any more aliens on this trip, they'd better be careful not to mess with Ninja Judy Robinson."

Everyone laughed. It was a celebration of an amazing triumph against an enemy that remained entirely mysterious. No one knew from where it had come. No one could read the alien markings on the hostile ship. And once the ship was destroyed, they'd had no time to count bodies, investigate the debris or anything of the sort.

What's more, no one could be sure if more attackers were out there. If, as John suspected, someone had intercepted their navigation signals to the Alpha Centauri system, it was possible they would attempt an ambush along the way.

"John," Maureen asked. "What is our plan if we encounter more of them along the way?"

"Well that's simple," John said. "We can't engage in any evasive tactics, because if we do it will put us off course, and even the slightest variation from our course will cause the ship to be destroyed. So if we encounter more of our friends, we need to hope that their attempt to follow us into the oncoming rush of space debris results in _their_ destruction, while our ability to stay on course gets us through. There's simply nothing else we can do."

"Speaking of which," Don said, "it's almost time. Everyone better get down below and strap in. This is either going to work or it isn't, and we'll know within minutes."

Maureen kissed John. Judy put a hand on Don's shoulder, who reached up and grasped it gently with his own. As they held hands every so briefly, Don looked up at Judy and gave her one of those looks they had shared so many times – but this time with an added show of admiration and respect for Judy's heroic actions to save the lives of the entire crew.

With her eyes, Judy told Don that he would be in her heart while he flew the ship and she strapped in down below. Then everyone headed for the lower deck, and John and Don strapped themselves in at the controls.

"Robot, has the navigation data been successfully uploaded?" John asked.

"Affirmative," the Robot replied.

"The thrusters are ready," Don said. "Robot, commence the countdown. I'll engage the thrusters at zero."

"Countdown commencing," the Robot said. "Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero!"

Don engaged the thrusters. The Jupiter 2 accelerated so fast it nearly separated John and Don's seats from their foundations. Their bodies were thrown back violently and their heads felt like they were hanging on desperately to stay attached to their necks.

Down below, the others felt waves of motion ripple through their bodies.

"Just try to relax," Maureen said. "It will take a few minutes for our bodies to adjust to this speed."

Dr. Smith tried to relax, but the sensation – like nothing he had ever experienced before – was too much. He tipped his head slightly to the left and began to throw up, which prompted him to cry a little and mouth apologies to the others.

"It's OK, Dr. Smith," Will said. "This is intense. Everyone understands."

"Yes, Dr. Smith," Maureen agreed. "Everyone understands, and it will be OK."

"Thank you," Smith said, continuing to sob. As he did, Judy remembered his sobbing during his confession in the cave of his attempted sabotage against the Jupiter 2 and its crew. She recounted the conversation, word for word, in her mind. It took her mind off the physical effects of the acceleration – but she began to realize that the burden of this secret was starting to weigh heavily on her.

* * *

In an abandoned Neyoran building, 14 trained pilots, including Lugrias, met under the cover of darkness with Nickas.

"Our brother Rengrola has given his life for our cause," Nickas informed them. "Invaders from Earth are attempting to colonize Alpha Prime. If they are allowed to succeed, it will become a polluted, industrialized planet just like we are trying to escape from here."

The pilots' faces grew troubled. Nickas continued:

"We learned from our initial attempt to stop them that far more firepower would be required. That's why we have gathered you here tonight. The time has come for our movement to take matters into its own hands, and to take decisive action. If any of you objects to this mission, please speak up now."

One pilot, named Eblemeltha, stepped forward.

"Nickas, with respect," he said, "I do have concerns that such a mission would require us to take any number of spacecraft without Brile's authorization, and would turn our movement into an outlier that could no longer count on the resources we need. Perhaps we should think more carefully about our options."

"I understand your concerns," Nickas said, and stepped toward Eblemeltha. At that, he removed a laser pistol from his waist and fired it directly into Eblemeltha's heart, sending his body into convulsions before it collapsed to the floor.

Nickas then looked at the others.

"Does anyone else have any objections?" Nickas asked.

All were silent.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing related to Lost in Space, not even a bubbleheaded booby.

**Chapter 8**

To look outside the Jupiter 2's front window was like standing on a busy freeway at night, watching the traffic come right at you. Flying into the oncoming rush of stars, comets, asteroids and meteors felt like a suicide mission. John Robinson and Don West sat at the controls, not touching a thing. The automatic navigation system was completely in control.

The first hour or two of flying into this rush of lethal objects was surreal for all of them. Once the physics inside the ship, and their own bodies, had adjusted to the speed at which they were traveling, Maureen, Will, Penny, Judy and Dr. Smith had joined John and Don at the ship's top level. All had understood the danger inherent in flying headlong into the rushing space cacophony of the whirling galaxy. All had realized they had little choice but to trust the Robot's navigation calculations.

Sure enough – near miss after near miss – the model was holding. They kept ducking the onrushing objects and kept steady on their course. According to the Robot's calculations, it would take 39 hours of this mad dash through space to reach the Alpha Centauri system. At that point, it would be safe for Don to wrest back control of the ship from the automatic navigation system and begin searching the Centauri system for a potentially hospitable planet.

Until then, they didn't dare touch a thing.

"You played college football, right, Don?" Will asked.

"Yeah, I did," Don said. "I was a defensive back."

"Did you ever return kickoffs?" Will asked. "Maybe this is a little bit similar to what that must have been like."

Don laughed.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. "If the kick coverage team consisted of millions of players, all of them in white-hot flames. Pretty similar, then."

"I don't see anyone making a tackle on us, do you?" John quipped.

"What if something hits us while we're all sleeping?" Penny asked. "Is there a danger of that?"

"We'd all be dead before we knew what hit us," Will said.

"Oh great!" Penny replied. "Nice plan you came up with, Will!"

John shot a glance at his lightly quarreling children.

"As long as we're relying on the automatic navigation system," John said, "we're at just as much risk sitting here at the controls as we would be when we're sleeping. If something is going to collide with us, we couldn't possibly take quick enough evasive action. And if we did, we'd be off course and something else would hit us. Our only chance is for the Robot's navigation model to be foolproof."

"Good heavens!" Dr. Smith declared. "Entrusting the survival of my very life and limb to the calculations of this imbecilic ingrate!"

"Well, Smith," Don shot back, "we thought the Robot had a better chance of pulling it off than you did."

The barb was missing the caustic tone it would have contained in the past. Don couldn't ignore the fact that Dr. Smith had risked his life to save everyone from the alien threat on the planet they had just left. He wasn't sure he would ever again be able to speak to him in the same cantankerous way he used to.

But it was still Smith, and a juicy opportunity just couldn't be passed up.

"As you wish, Major!" Smith bellowed. "Surely my superior intellect could be put to far better use."

Smith looked away from Don, only to find his eyes coming squarely into contact with Judy's. He wasn't sure how to read her gaze. In a span of just a few minutes, she had learned about his prior murderous intentions, only to witness the most courageous and selfless act he had ever undertaken.

_Who is this man, really?_ Judy wondered. Could it be that her charitable attitude toward him these past three years had truly helped to change him? Or could it be that he'd been snowing her the entire time? Could he still be?

"You know what the first thing I'm gonna do is when we get to Alpha Centauri?" Will asked, breaking the contemplative silence.

"What, son?" John replied.

"I'm gonna find myself a place to go for a swim," Will declared.

"You numb nut," Penny said. "We don't even know if there's a planet with water there. We don't even know if it will have breathable atmosphere. You're as likely to be trudging around in a spacesuit as going for a swim."

"You wait, Penny," Will insisted. "We'll find a totally awesome planet there. It will have everything we could possibly want. You'll see."

"I'm with Will," Judy said. "I'm ready for a swim."

"I wasn't aware that anyone had brought any swimsuits," Maureen said.

"You're not planning to go skinny dipping, now, are you, Will?" John asked.

"Eeee-yeeeew," Will declared. "I'm not skinny dipping with my screwball sisters!"

"Fine with us!" Penny said.

Everyone laughed and enjoyed the moment. If they made it to Alpha Centauri alive, that would be its own reward. What they found when they got there would be a bonus. They hoped.

* * *

"According to their course, the Earth ship should pass Vuldalia just about 12 hours from now," Lugrias explained to a group of 13 pilots gathered around a screen, watching his computer-generated display of the Jupiter 2's likely path. "They are flying _into_ the direction of the stars and other space debris as the galaxy rotates. The advantage for them is that Alpha Centauri essentially comes forward to meet them. That's why they can get there from Ferhinth in only 39 hours. The danger, of course, is that any flaw in their navigation plan would certainly result in a fatal collision with something out there."

"Any flaws thus far?" asked the pilot known as Uylanthro.

"Not one," Lugrias said. "Whoever charted their course appears to have done so brilliantly."

"Very well," intoned Nickas, sitting at the back of the room taking in the discussion. "The Earth people are exceptional navigators. Probably using the same technology that warms and pollutes their planet. This is exactly why they need to be stopped from reaching Alpha Prime. Please get to the action steps of your plan, Lugrias."

Lugrias didn't appreciate the tone. He understood the stakes for sure. Nickas had made plenty of demands and had put Lugrias and the others at serious risk should Brile find out their actual activities. His first ill-begotten plan had cost Rengrola and his crew their lives.

But he showed no signs of letting up. Lugrias returned his attention to the screen.

"Essentially, we will ambush them," Lugrias said. "We wait on the other side of Vuldalia, and when they fly past it, we have four vessels, all in a row, each firing a succession of missiles. Like this."

Within the on-screen simulation, the animation-generated Jupiter 2 was taken out instantly as it passed the star Vuldalia, only to be hit by the first of a wall of missiles fired by the four waiting Neyoran ships.

"The Earth ship is traveling very fast," Lugrias said, "more than 170,000 miles per hour. It will be like trying to hit a fast-moving bullet with a slow one. But four ships in a row, all with the ability to fire multiple missiles, should be able to create a wall they can't get past."

"I certainly hope so!" Nickas shouted from the back. "We underestimated them severely on Ferhinth."

Lugrias turned and glared at Nickas.

"I am very confident in this plan's success," Lugrias declared.

* * *

_One hour later._

The airfield covered 500 acres, with hangars lining each side. The spacecraft in Brile's fleet would take off first by going from a standing position to a hovering position. They did use a runway, but they didn't run on wheels or touching the ground. They simply used the gradual ascent to pick up speed before beginning a faster ascent toward the outer edges of – and ultimately beyond – Neyora's atmosphere.

Guard posts were stationed at each of the airfield's three entrances. A fourth guard monitored the field via video surveillance from a station approximately a half-mile away.

Night had fallen.

At the south guard gate, two guards – Vamliala and Felzu – were getting close to the end of their shifts.

"I can't wait to get home and pop some of those delicious calorie supplement pellets!" Vamliala announced sarcastically.

"Would it kill them to give them some flavor?" Felzu replied, making a mock gagging motion.

"Well, with any luck, we'll soon be dining on choice foods to our hearts content on Alpha Prime," Vamliala said. He was going to say more when a bright light shined in his eyes. A vehicle was approaching. Vamliala opened the window of the guard gate as the vehicle came to a stop.

"Good evening," Vamliala said. "How can I help you this evening?"

The driver of the vehicle fired his laser pistol into Vamliala's face, instantly engulfing his entire head in flames and throwing his pulsating body across the back of the guard gate. As Felzu reached for his weapon, the driver pumped his chest full of laser-powered electricity, sending his body into violent vibrations that ended when he collapsed to the floor.

The vehicle then crashed through the guard gate and sped toward the east hangar, where it was met by two other identical vehicles.

Lugrias exited one of the vehicles. The other 13 pilots, along with 69 crew members consisting of men, women and children, likewise exited the vehicles. Among them was Nickas.

"We have less than four minutes before off-site security arrives," Lugrias said. "Everyone move quickly to the spacecraft on which you've been training. Assigned crews, follow your pilots. We will launch in numerical sequence, determined by the number of your ship. Now move! Time is of the essence."

Each pilot sprinted toward his ship, crews members in tow, each of them hauling a large pack of provisions. The group of renegades within the renegades realized that there was no turning back from this move. If they wanted to colonize Alpha Prime, this was it. They couldn't possibly return to Neyora and expect anything but to be arrested.

As they sprinted toward their respective spacecraft, they could hear the security vehicles in the distance, approaching the airfield. One by one, the hangar doors opened and the spacecraft – 13 in all – began to hover and emerge onto the airfield. The pilots waited for Lugrias to shout the commands from the ship in the rear, where Nickas and his family were also aboard.

"L7RU, launch!"

It did.

"L9FE, launch!"

One by one, the spacecraft took off. Even while he shouted out the commands, Lugrias could see on his rear display that the security vehicles had entered the airfield.

"Nickas, I don't think we have enough time to get all the ships in the air before they get here," Lugrias said.

"Give the orders faster!" Nickas demanded.

"All right," Lugrias said. "All pilots, new procedure is to take off five seconds after your predecessor. L12FY, launch! Subsequent ships follow procedure!"

The ships whirred into the night as the security vehicles sped across the field.

"We're still not going to make it," Lugrias said.

"Engage them!" Nickas ordered.

"Hang on," Lugrias said, then violently turned the ship to face the onrushing security vehicles. Upon completion of the 180-degree turn, Lugrias fired a missile at the nearest vehicle, striking it head-on and causing it to instantly burst into flames. The two vehicles trailing it skidded into the ball of fire – their attempts to stop fruitless – and were also engulfed in flames within seconds.

As the vehicles further back skidded abruptly to stop, Lugrias turned his ship – now the last remaining on the ground – and fired his turbo launchers. All 13 rebel Neyoran ships were now on their way to outer space.

* * *

As the onrushing stars, planets, comets, asteroids and meteors zipped past the Jupiter 2 – many of them coming close but none of them making contact – Will Robinson checked the Robot's time circuits.

"Estimated time of arrival at Alpha Centauri, T-minus seven hours, 23 minutes and 19 seconds," the Robot declared.

"Robot," Will said, "you are definitely the galaxy's all-time greatest space navigator. Hey Don, have we had any really close calls?"

"I think one meteor missed us by about three inches," Don said. "It seemed that way, anyway. We're about to come very close to a star called Vuldalia. We'll be going around it to the right in about three minutes."

"How close will we be coming to it?" Will said. "Is it as bright as our sun?"

"No, much smaller than the sun," Don said. "But still very hot and very bright. If we came any closer to it than we're going to, it would burn us to a crisp."

As they spoke, Dr. Smith, Judy and Penny ascended from the lower deck on the elevator.

"Are you two still up here playing in traffic?" Judy said.

"I think I'm ready for NASCAR after this trip," Don said. "All this oncoming space matter . . ."

The rest of the wisecrack was interrupted by a suddenly flailing, shouting Robot.

"Danger! Danger! Multiple hostile spacecraft are present!"

"Silence, you ninny!" Dr. Smith said.

"What? Where? I don't see anything!" Don cried.

Don, Will, Penny and Judy hurriedly scanned what they could see of the ship's exterior. No spacecraft were visible, but Vuldalia was getting closer and closer on their left.

"Robot, where are the hostile spacecraft?" Don demanded.

"My sensors indicate they are positioned straight ahead and slightly to the left," the Robot said.

"That's where the star is!" Penny said.

"Correct, Penny Robinson!" the Robot replied.

"They must be on the other side of the star!" Judy said.

As the group tried in vain to spot the hostile spacecraft, John and Maureen quickly climbed up to the top deck, having heard the conversation on the intercom speakers below.

"Report! Where are the enemy craft?" John asked, running to his seat at the controls.

"As far as we can tell, they must be behind the star," Don said. "It has to be an ambush."

"Robot!" John said. "How many spacecraft are there?"

"Insufficient data!" the Robot said. "But my sensors indicate they are multiple."

"They know our course!" John said. "Multiple spacecraft would be for the purpose of firing multiple missiles."

"We can fire our rockets!" Don said.

"We don't even know how many of them there are!" John said. "We either have to take evasive action or hope they simply miss."

"What are the chances they'll miss?" Maureen asked.

"Probably not good," Don said. "If they know our course, they know how many missiles they need to take us out."

"But if we take evasive action, we'll be off course!" Will said. "That's suicide!"

"Robot!" John demanded. "If we vary from our course can you give us the maneuvers we would need to return to it?"

"Affirmative," the Robot said. "but such a course of action is extremely dangerous. The odds of avoiding all objects and returning to course are very long against us."

"I understand the risk," John said. "But I think we have a better chance of evading random space debris than we do of evading missiles that are aimed right at our pre-determined course."

"John," Don said, "we have to make a decision right now. Do we evade?"

"Wait until you have a visual on an approaching missile, then evade downward," John said.

"Is that an order?" Don asked.

"That is an order, Major West," John confirmed.

"All right," Don said, settling in at the controls.

The Jupiter 2 began to pass quickly to the right of the Vuldalia star. As the star passed to the lee of the ship, Don affixed his eyes upon whatever might lay waiting on the other side. As soon as the star was relegated to his peripheral vision, he spotted the first missile at 10 o'clock.

"I have a visual!" Don announced. "Everyone grab hold of something!"

With no time to go downstairs and strap in, everyone grabbed whatever they could. Judy and Penny grabbed the mounted stairs that led to the lower level. Maureen wrapped her arms around a freezing tube. Will did the same. Dr. Smith sat down in the elevator.

"Not yet," John said.

The missile drew closer.

"Almost ready," Don said.

"And . . ." John said, waiting, "now!"

Don took the Jupiter into a violent dive, throwing Maureen and Will across the ship's floor. The first missile passed about 20 feet above the top of the ship.

"They're locked in on us, Don!" John said. "You have to keep diving! You have to keep evading!"

Don drove the Jupiter more steeply downward. Another series of missiles missed it by what seemed like inches.

"More missiles are coming!" John shouted. "Keep diving!"

Don hit the thrusters. Both Judy and Penny were pinned to the ship's wall. Dr. Smith was thrown against the back of the elevator.

The next group of missiles again just missed the Jupiter.

"There's one more group, Don!" John said. "Dive! Dive!"

Don drove the Jupiter downward as fast and as steep as he could. The missiles bore down.

"They're locked on our position!" Don said. "They're headed right at us!"

"Dive, Don! Dive! _Dive!"_

Don's face tensed. Sweat poured from his brow. His arteries bulged. He pulled at the control harder than he'd ever pulled on it in his life. The Jupiter was now falling through space at incredible speeds. The missiles kept bearing down.

"Hang on everybody!" Don declared. "This is it!"

The missiles raced at the Jupiter, plainly in view through the front window. Everyone braced for a head-on collision and a violent explosion. Don gave the thruster control one last yank.

Each missile passed within less than six inches of the top of the Jupiter 2. They were so close Don could feel the searing heat they emitted. One passed over, then another, then another . . . until all had passed.

"You did it, Don!" Will exclaimed. "You did it! We evaded the missiles!"

"Warning! Warning!" the Robot declared. "The Jupiter 2 is now severely off course and in immediate danger from oncoming space debris!"

"How do I get us back on course?" Don demanded.

"Increase elevation at 11 o'clock and increase flying speed to 238,432 miles per hour!" the Robot replied.

"Can we possibly fly that fast?" John said.

"Hang on!" Don said.

He engaged the retrofitted thrusters full-throttle. The Jupiter accelerated violently. All aboard were immediately thrown against the back wall. Don began to bring it back upward.

"We've got company!" John said. "To our rear. Four of them, following us!"

"The missiles?" Will asked.

"No, the spacecraft themselves," John said. "They're tailing us."

"Let's see if they can fly at this speed," Don said.

"Looks like they can," John replied.

"Don!" Will exclaimed. "Look out!"

"Danger!" the Robot announced. "Approaching meteor shower!"

"I see it," Don said. "Let's see how good _they_ are at evasion."

Don weaved in and out, up, down and around the meteors. John kept a watch on the Jupiter's rear.

"One hostile vessel has crashed into a meteor!" John announced.

Don picked up speed and kept evading the meteors.

"A second hostile vessel has now been destroyed by the meteors!" John said.

"Hang on everybody!" Don said, veering to the right of another meteor.

"A third hostile has been destroyed!" John said.

"OK, now we're gonna really take it up!" Don said, accelerating yet again, and passing just over the top of the biggest meteor yet in the group.

"The final remaining hostile ship has crashed into a meteor and been destroyed," John said.

"Excellent!" Will said.

"We still have to get back on course!" Don said. "Robot! Report!"

"Continue climbing to 11 o'clock, accelerating to 265,984 miles per hour!" the Robot said.

"No time for crybabies!" Don said. "Here goes!"

He accelerated yet again and climbed on the Robot's command.

"In 25 seconds, return to horizontal path and resume original speed!" the Robot said.

Don kept climbing. Twenty seconds. Fifteen. Ten. Five. At zero, he jerked the Jupiter back to its original horizontal course and reduced speed.

"Is it OK to resume the autopilot?" Don asked.

"Affirmative," the Robot said.

Don turned the autopilot back on, then leaned back and took a deep breath.

"We're back on course," he said. "And apparently all the hostiles have been destroyed."

Everyone stood and applauded. Judy ran over to Don, threw her arms around him from behind and kissed him on the cheek.

"You are my hero," she said.

"That's quite a compliment coming from the alien slayer," Don replied.

And she just held onto him a little longer. Alpha Centauri was just a few hours away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I own your house, and you have no idea.

**Chapter 9**

Lugrias desperately tried to reach the pilots of any or all of the four spacecraft assigned to ambush the Earth ship.

"L7RC, come in!" Lugrias pleaded. "L9FJ, do you read me? L15GH, do you read me? Come in! _Come in!"_

Nothing.

At the back of the spacecraft designated L29LS, which was orbiting Alpha Prime along with eight other waylaid Neyoran ships, Nickas seethed. The last thing they had heard from the ambush team was a report that their missiles had failed to hit their target, followed by a report that the Earth ship had zoomed past them, and that they were in pursuit – flying _into_ a meteor shower. One after the other, the pilots reported seeing their comrades crash into meteors and perish – until there was only one left to make any more reports, and finally, he too fell silent.

"You," Nickas raged, directing his anger at Lugrias. "You told me you were confident this plan would succeed. This is now five ships and five pilots and crews we have lost, and still these people survive!"

"We don't know that the Earth people survived!" Lugrias shot back. "They were flying into the meteor shower as well! Chances are they didn't make it through either."

"Either way," Nickas shouted, "look at what we've already lost because of your inept planning."

Lugrias snapped. He stepped aggressively toward Nickas and got in his face.

"_You_ are the one who is obsessed with destroying these people!" Lugrias said angrily. "_You_ are the one who decided to turn us all into outliers by stealing Brile's spacecraft! All because of these people from Earth who might mean us no harm whatsoever for all we know! What are we supposed to do now? We can't go back to Neyora! We can't even be sure what we're going to find on Alpha Prime! The authorities may be on their way here to arrest us right now because of you! And you blame _me?"_

Nickas burned with anger. Lugrias wasn't finished.

"You are obsessed!" Lugrias told him. "You are out of control – "

"How dare you!" Nickas interjected. "How _dare_ you attack me so. I set you up for a prime pilot's spot in Brile's fleet. I personally vouched for you!"

"And I appreciate that, Nickas! I do!" Lugrias said. "But ever since we detected the presence of this Earth ship, you've lost all sense of rationality. You're convinced that this tiny group of people is going to destroy an entire planet!"

"They killed Rengrola and his entire crew and destroyed his ship!" Nickas yelled.

"Yes, because the ship fired a barrage of missiles at them!" Lugrias barked back. "No wonder they killed them! We started this fight, Nickas. _You_ started this fight, and you didn't understand who you were dealing with, now did you? If we had just made contact with them peacefully, we might have found we could co-exist with them on Alpha Prime!"

"Never!" Nickas screamed angrily. "Never! You know what Earth is like! _You know!_ Greedy industrialists with no regard whatsoever for their environment or their eco-system!"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe that's why these people left?" Lugrias suggested. "That maybe that's why they, too, wanted to find a different home? You didn't think this through rationally at all. You simply made a snap decision, and look where we stand now. We've lost five of our ships, and if the Earth ship _is _on its way here, we don't have the slightest idea how to defeat them. Everything we've tried has been a disaster!"

"They've been _your _battle plans!" Nickas insisted.

"Because of _your_ irrational obsession!" Lugrias countered.

"You disloyal fool!" Nickas said, pulling a device from his pocket and holding it to Lugrias's neck. Known as a Vavlire, it was a device for inflicting a debilitating electric shock on a person. It looked a little like a paint-roller, but instead of a fuzzy surface, it had electrically charged wires that would immediately knock the biggest, strongest person on his back.

Lugrias eyed the Vavlire, one inch from his neck.

"Is this how you plan to punish me for what's happened, Nickas?" Lugrias asked defiantly. "Is this my comeuppance?"

"You've never understood what this has been all about," Nickas declared. "You've never grasped the truth. You joined our movement for the opportunities it presented you. You were never a true believer."

"Maybe your impulsive irrationality has turned me into a non-believer, Nickas," Lugrias replied. "Maybe you're proving the wrongheadedness of your own cause. Maybe we should have stayed on Neyora and honored the good will of the man who trusted us. Maybe it's not too late. Maybe we should turn back now and take responsibility for what we've done."

Nickas looked into Lugrias's eyes, his anger reaching its height. Nickas shoved the Vavlire into Lugrias's neck and fired its electrical charge, throwing Lugrias violently to the ground. Across the ship, Lugrias's children and their mother watched in horror. Nickas stood over Lugrias and went into an uncontrollable rage.

"_You have ruined everything! Everything! I will not allow your weakness to destroy our vision! I will not!"_

Nickas grabbed Lugrias by the scruff of his neck. Conscious but weak from the Vavlire charge, Lugrias was helpless to resist. Nickas dragged him to the opening of the ship's airlock and opened it.

"What are you doing?" screamed Lugrias's oldest son, standing up and running toward the airlock.

"Stop!" Nickas insisted, pointing his laser pistol at the boy.

"What are you doing to my father?" he demanded.

Nickas shoved Lugrias into the airlock and closed it, then pressed the button to open the outside airlock.

"Father!" the son yelled while the rest of his family ran to the window. They watched in horror as Lugrias drifted in front of the ship, gasping for air that was not to be found, then convulsing from suffocation and finally floating lifelessly into space.

"You are a monster!" the boy screamed at Nickas.

"I will not accept failure," Nickas replied coldly, then fired his laser pistol into the boy's midsection, felling him instantly. As his mother and two siblings looked on in horror, Nickas turned his laser pistol on each of them and, one by one, took them down as well.

Off to the side, the other crew members were too terrified to say anything. Nickas looked at them.

"Land this spacecraft," he ordered them. "And inform the pilots of the other spacecraft that they are to land as well. It is time to colonize Alpha Prime, and if the Earth invaders show up, we _will_ be ready for them, and we _will_ destroy them."

* * *

Maureen knocked lightly on the expanding door of Judy's compartment. She had noticed that Judy seemed strangely quiet after the excitement of the missile chase died down. She knew her daughter. She knew when something was troubling her.

"Come in, mother," Judy said.

"How did you know it was me?" Maureen asked as she slid open the door.

"Probably the same way you knew something was bothering me," Judy said. "You know me. I know you too. I didn't think it was escaping your attention."

Maureen smiled. Mother and daughter, they did indeed know each other well, and had grown closer than ever since their space excursion began.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Maureen asked, sitting down next to her.

Judy sighed.

"Yes," she said softly. "I do. This is very hard."

Maureen touched her shoulder. Judy turned to look in her eyes.

"I wish I could confide in Don about this," she said. "But I'm very afraid of how he would react. Of what he would do."

Maureen's heart sank.

"Judy," she said, "has something happened? Judy, you're not pregnant, are you?"

Judy sat up abruptly.

"No!" she said. "Mother! It's nothing like that!"

Maureen looked relieved.

"If you must know, I haven't been with Don," Judy said sternly. "In fact, if you must know, I've never been with anyone."

"I didn't need to know that," Maureen said, although she wasn't unhappy about the information.

"It's nothing like that, Mother," Judy said. "It's about Dr. Smith."

"What about Dr. Smith?" Maureen inquired.

Judy took a deep breath.

"Mother," she said, "this stays between you and me, at least for now. Do you promise?"

"Judy," Maureen said, "you know that your father and I don't have any secrets."

"All right, fine," Judy said. "I'll let you decide if telling Dad about this is the right thing to do."

Maureen just stared at Judy in nervous anticipation.

"I know why Dr. Smith was aboard the Jupiter 2 when we left Earth," Judy said. "He told me. He told me everything. It was when we were in the cave, and I think he thought he was about to die. I think his conscience was getting the best of him. I think he couldn't stand the guilt. Also I was holding him at gunpoint at the time."

"You were _what?_" Maureen asked.

"Mother, he was trying to sabotage us," Judy said. "He took 50 million from the Chinese government to do it, and he was trying to reprogram the Robot to destroy the ship."

Maureen couldn't find any words.

"Remember when the Robot went berserk?" Judy said. "When Don almost got knocked out trying to get at his power pack? Dr. Smith programmed him to do that. He was supposed to destroy the ship eight hours after launch. What Dr. Smith didn't count on was getting trapped aboard, and that's the only reason the rest of us were woken up from the freezing tubes."

Maureen looked Judy squarely in the eyes.

"He told you all this?" she asked.

"Yes," Judy said. "He did. He seemed very remorseful. And right after this happened, he risked his life to help me destroy that alien ship. He kept telling me how much he regretted it, and how he cares about all of us now and would never want to hurt us. I just don't know what to think, Mother, I really don't. I know what Dr. Smith is like, but I've never thought him capable of being a killer – certainly not capable of killing all of us."

"Well, he didn't know us then," Maureen said. "Not that that makes it any better. But maybe he _wasn't_ capable of killing us. Maybe subconsciously he let himself get trapped aboard the ship because he really _isn't_ a killer."

Judy looked skeptical.

"I don't know about _that_, Mother," she said. "But now that he's told me, I've just felt this terrible burden being in possession of this information and not being able to tell anyone. And I'm sure he's worried I'll tell Dad or Don."

"Well, no wonder you've been troubled," Maureen said. "I honestly can't say I'm shocked by this. It was obvious that he shouldn't have been aboard the ship, and I don't think any of us have ever really believed he told us the truth about it. Until now, I suppose."

"Do you understand now why I don't want you to tell Dad?" Judy pleaded.

"Well," Maureen said, "I can't promise I'll never tell him, but I don't think it's something he needs to deal with now. He and Don need to get us to Alpha Centauri, and telling them this now would only distract them from the task at hand. I do agree, for now. We will keep this between us. And I won't let on to Dr. Smith that I know."

Judy put her arms around her mother and they embraced for what seemed like the longest time.

* * *

The Jupiter 2 was just over three hours away from its scheduled entry into the Alpha Centauri star system. That would be the time when Don would take back control of the ship from the automatic navigation system and begin exploring the solar system for a habitable planet.

"You don't see any more attackers lying in wait out there, do you?" Don asked the Robot.

"Negative, Major West," the Robot said.

"That's good," Don said. "John, remember what Maureen said about how this could only work if we encountered absolutely no problems along the way?"

John laughed.

"And about how that hasn't exactly been our history?" John said. "Well, we've stayed true to our history. No question about that."

"But it looks like we're going to make it anyway," Don said. "Amazing."

As he spoke, Don noticed the fuel gauge. It was much lower than he had anticipated. His original estimate was that the Jupiter would burn 103 canisters of deutronium getting to Alpha Centauri. According to that calculation, they should have had 21 canisters left. They had less than one.

"We're almost out of fuel!" Don declared. "Dodging the missiles and having to accelerate like we did to get back on course must have burned a lot more fuel than we were anticipating. We're going to have to start tapping those additional 36 canisters."

"I'll start feeding them into the fuel-injectors," John said.

Dr. Smith had been standing behind them listening to the conversation.

"Oh dear," Smith said. "There may be something you hadn't considered."

"What?" John said impatiently, expecting to hear about another one of Smith's ill-advised misadventures.

"Well," Smith said. "We don't have 36 additional canisters. We only have 29. Judy and I used the last seven canisters to create the explosion that destroyed the hostile enemy ship."

John slapped his knee.

"That's right," he said. "I had forgotten to account for that. I guess I never thought we would we need _any_ of it. Don, will 29 additional canisters get us there?"

"Hard to say," Don said. "Because we don't know where _there_ is. Once we reach the star system, we still have to scout around for a planet. If we spot one right away, and we can reasonably ascertain that it's the one we want, we might be OK. One way or the other, though, I think it's going to be close."

The three men said nothing for a moment. Don just looked at the fuel gauge as if hoping it would start to tell him something different.

John stood up and headed for the storage area to retrieve the extra deutronium.

"Let's keep this between the three of us for now," John said. "No need to pointlessly worry the others if we might end up having no problem."

All three agreed.

* * *

In a grassy field, eight Neyoran spacecraft sat still on the ground. All occupants remained inside their spacecraft until the approach of the ninth and final craft, which descended from the sky.

As the final craft settled onto the ground and stopped, its hatch opened and Nickas emerged, followed by the surviving crew members. Briefly surveying the scene, Nickas gave the signal for the others to exit their ships, and they streamed out.

"Ladies and gentleman," Nickas said. "Today, the enlightened people of Neyora claim the peaceful planet of Alpha Prime as home. We vow to remain true to our clean, healthy, agrarian vision for a self-sustaining planet on which we can thrive for generations."

Everyone applauded.

The eight pilots gathered closely around Nickas for initial instructions.

"Nickas, the planet appears to be teeming with water and healthy vegetation," said the pilot known as Ciolian. "May we have your permission to begin developing a water distribution system?"

"Permission granted," Nickas said. "And we must also begin work immediately to develop a radar system that will detect the approach of any alien spacecraft. We must ensure that the invaders from Earth not be permitted to land here, otherwise our brothers involved in the failed ambush will have given their lives in vain."

"Nickas," asked the pilot known as Surulia. "Where are Lugrias and his family?"

Nickas bowed his head.

"Sadly, our brother Lugrias also gave his life in the service of our cause. He will never be forgotten, and we owe our best effort to the honor of his memory, and that of his family as well."

All eight pilots were crestfallen, not knowing what to say. But there wasn't time to think about it. The work of colonizing a planet, and defending it from the approach of outsiders, was only just beginning.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. You got a problem with that?

**Chapter 10**

A high-end vehicle raced through the busted up guard station and onto the airfield. With 13 open hangars as a backdrop, it sped toward the wreckage of three charred security vehicles. Other emergency personnel had already been on the scene for some time when the high-end vehicle stopped and a side door opened.

Brile has been sleeping when he received the news that this incident had occurred, and he had received the information in a state of semi-drowsiness. Perhaps that was why he felt so unprepared for what he saw.

"How many dead?" he asked the leader of the emergency crew.

"Twelve, it would appear," the crew leader replied. "Two at each of the three guard posts, and two in each of the three destroyed vehicles. And the vehicles were hit with a missile from one of the departing spacecraft. They weren't waiting around to explain where they were going."

"I don't think there's any question where they were going," Brile said glumly. "How many spacecraft are missing?"

"Thirteen," the crew leader said. "You say you know where they were going?"

Brile had started to walk toward the empty hangars, but he stopped and turned to answer the man.

"They are going to Alpha Prime," he said. "They didn't want to wait for the rest of us, and it's just as well because they clearly have their own agenda. Neyora may be better off without them. Unfortunately, they are now guilty of murder, and we can't simply let them get away with it."

And again he turned, embarking on a lonely walk toward the empty hangars that had once housed the spacecraft he built with his spectacular wealth. He thought about the discomfort he had felt throwing in with Nickas and the others in his movement. But he had reasoned to himself that you can't pull off something so ambitious without assembling coalitions and making compromises. He knew Nickas was a radical, but he didn't envision him perpetrating this kind of evil.

As Brile entered the main hangar, he gazed at the large, empty expanse where the spacecraft once rested. His fleet was not terribly depleted when measured in numbers. Counting the one that had been taken to Ferhinth, he had lost 14. That still left 236 spacecraft. The colonization vision was far from defeated.

But the realization that his spacecraft had been used by such people for such nefarious actions was near impossible for Brile to come to terms with. He sat on the floor, leaned up against the interior wall of the hangar – and wept.

* * *

"Tcialiando, may I speak with you?" said Holkri, a crew member on the ship Tcialiando had piloted from Neyora to Alpha Prime.

"Of course," the pilot said.

"Can you give me some insight," Holkri asked, "into why Nickas has established the radar and defense system as the highest priority for the colonization group? It just seems like a strange choice as opposed to the construction of housing, a food production system and everything else we will need to survive here. Is there reason to expect a threat from unwelcome visitors?"

Tcialiando thought back to that moment back on Neyora, when Eblemeltha stepped forward to express a concern and immediately met his end as the searing laser from Nickas's pistol took him down. Tcialiando wasn't sure what Nickas knew, or might be expecting, about unwelcome visitors. But he knew Nickas probably wouldn't take kindly to being questioned about it.

"I'm not sure exactly what he knows," Tcialiando told Holkri, "but if we don't ensure our security, none of the rest will matter. I suggest we finish it as quickly and completely as possible. Then we'll be able to get to the other priorities. Dismissed."

Holkri indicated his acceptance of the answer and returned to his work on the radar and defense system.

The basic idea was to take half the missiles mounted on the spacecraft and ground-mount them in various locations to protect the initial Neyoran compound. The rest of the planet would be protected by the spacecraft themselves, which would detect any incoming spacecraft and move aggressively to engage them wherever they might attempt to land.

Holkri wasn't the only colonist who wondered why Nickas insisted on destroying any ship that would attempt to land on Alpha Prime – regardless of its location. It was an awfully big planet, after all, nearly as big as Neyora. But Nickas insisted that any infestation at all of invaders from other planets would unacceptably alter the ecological balance of Alpha Prime. So as best they could, they developed a system of defending it with a mere nine spacecraft. They would obviously have no chance of stopping an arriving army, but one or two ships, conventionally armed, should not be a problem.

Holkri looked up from his work to see his two children playing a running game with a group of other young Neyorans, alongside a glistening river. If it was possible, Alpha Prime had exceeded his decidedly high expectations. It was more beautiful than anything he had ever envisioned. Nickas may or may not have been paranoid, but Alpha Prime struck Holkri was more than worthy of defending.

* * *

"Dr. Smith," Judy said. "I need to speak with you. Let's go in your quarters."

Not sure what to make of this, Smith nodded and followed her in. She stepped behind him and closed the expanding door.

"What is it, dear?" Smith asked, his voice clearly nervous.

"Dr. Smith," Judy said, "when we reach Alpha Centauri, Dad and Don are going to try to reach Alpha Control. This is going to happen in less than an hour. I don't know if they'll be successful in making contact, but if they are, I'm quite sure that two things will happen. The first will be that Alpha Control will be very surprised to hear from us, since I imagine they probably think we've all been dead for three years."

"True," Smith said.

"The second thing," Judy continued, "will be that they'll tell us they uncovered the plot to sabotage our mission, and your complicity."

Smith just thought about that for a second. He started putting it together. His disappearance would surely prompt them to investigate him. With the investigative tools available today, it wouldn't be difficult to trace the huge transfer the Chinese government had made to his offshore bank account. Ever the shrewd businessman, Smith had secured the first 10 million as an upfront deposit.

At the very least, they would suspect him. And when they heard from the Jupiter 2, they would probably say so.

"Dr. Smith?" Judy said, sensing his attention was drifting.

"I'm sorry, dear," Smith said. "I was just considering the implications of what you're telling me. I suspect you are correct."

"Dr. Smith, how do you want this to play out?" Judy asked. "You have an opportunity to come clean now, before they hear it from Alpha Control. I can't guarantee the reaction will be any more positive, but at least it would allow you to take the matter into your own hands."

Dr. Smith felt butterflies in his stomach. He started to teeter a bit, and had to sit down on his bunk. His face was glum.

"When I confessed to you – my deeds," Smith said. "I suppose I realized a day of true reckoning would follow not far behind. Perhaps I wasn't prepared for it to come this soon."

"I'm not going to force you one way or the other," Dr. Smith. "And I suppose there's a chance we can't make contact, or that if we do, it won't come up. But I don't think either one is very likely. Penny did a fantastic job fixing the radio, and Alpha Control doesn't just leave its receivers unattended –"

Smith stood up.

"You don't need to say any more, Judy," he said. "I know what I need to do. It's time for me to face it. Will you be so kind as to gather the others?"

"Of course," Judy said. "I'll try to clear the path for you, but you're the one who's going to have to step up and tell the truth."

He put his hand on her shoulder. That made her pull back a smidgen, a bit uncomfortable with the contact, but understanding what prompted it.

"Judy," Smith said. "I want you to know I respect you, not only for what you did back on the planet, but because you have always been kind and fair to me. Thank you."

Judy moved toward the door and opened it.

"We'd better get started," she said. "There isn't a lot of time."

On the upper level, John, Don, Will and the Robot were watching for their first visual of Alpha Centauri. The flight plan indicated it should still be about 10 minutes away, but they couldn't resist trying. They weren't _that_ premature. The star would be similar to the Sun, and once they could see it, they would be able to start gauging the orbit of the planets surrounding it.

"Do we have any idea how many planets there are?" Will asked.

"No idea," John said. "We don't know for sure that there are _any_, although every model Alpha Control developed indicated it should be the kind of star system that would have planets. It's a bit of a leap of faith, but I think we can feel reasonably confident about it."

"I'm going to keep the automatic navigation system on until we reach the inner core of the system," Don said. "If we slow down before we get to the inner ring of planets, it will take us forever to get where we're trying to go. But I'll stay at the controls in case we need to duck any objects."

"Well we all know you're the master of _that_," Will said.

"Maybe," Don said. "Or maybe I've already used up all my luck. I hope not."

The men turned to hear the elevator coming up, carrying Maureen, Penny and Dr. Smith. Judy was climbing the ladder.

"Everyone, can I have your attention for a moment?" Judy asked.

Everyone gathered behind the control panel. John and Don swung their chairs around.

"As you know," Judy said, "before we left the planet, Dr. Smith put his life on the line to help us escape from the aliens who were attacking us, and I think we all feel grateful for that. Before that happened, while we were holed up in the cave, Dr. Smith told me something important, and he feels that this is the appropriate time to share it with everyone."

Maureen gulped. She hadn't seen this coming.

"Dr. Smith," Judy continued, "the floor is yours."

Before Dr. Smith could speak, Don interjected, "Do we have to do this right now?" He accentuated the point by motioning toward the outside, as if to remind everyone of the momentous events about to transpire.

Judy snapped back impatiently: "Yes, we have to do it now, Don. Pay attention."

Don asked no further questions. Dr. Smith stood near the guidance control system and looked at the group.

"My dear friends," he said, "it is necessary for me to make a terrible confession to you. There are no words sufficient to describe my regret for what I'm about to tell you, but nevertheless I am responsible for my actions, and it is time that you must know them. Three years ago, I accepted 50 million from the government of China to sabotage the Jupiter 2 mission."

The faces of the Robinsons and Major West were a combination of stunned surprise and abject rage. Dr. Smith continued.

"Judy has known about this since just before our recent launch. It is now time for everyone to know. My plan was to program the Robot to destroy the ship eight hours after liftoff. I obviously did not plan on getting trapped aboard, and once I did, it was obviously no longer in my best interests to see the plan carried out. This is why I brought Major West out of his freezing tube, and why I cooperated in the disabling of the Robot when he began carrying out the tasks I had programmed him to undertake."

Don stood up, breathing heavily, paused for a second, and lunged toward Dr. Smith. John and Will stepped in and held him back.

"_I knew it! I knew it!"_ Don raged. _"I never trusted you! Never! You tried to kill us all!"_

Judy joined John and Will in restraining Don, who was finally forced back into his chair.

"That's enough, Don!" John demanded. "Not another word! Dr. Smith? Do you have any more to say?"

"Only that I am deeply, deeply sorry," Dr. Smith said. "As I told Judy, and as I will tell you now, my actions of three years ago were pure evil, and I can hold no one responsible but myself. Any action against me that you feel is appropriate, I am prepared to accept. But I desperately want you to know that in these three years we have spent together, I have come to love and admire you all. I don't expect you to think of me as family, because I surely have not earned such a designation, but this is how I think of you. My regret is all the more because I have learned the kind of people you are – and that includes you, Major. I don't hold your anger with me against you at all. It is entirely understandable. And all of you, I pray, you will find it in your hearts to forgive me."

And Dr. Smith put his arms to his sides, his words finished.

The rest of the group was silent. They looked at Dr. Smith. They looked at each other. Finally the silence was broken when Will, no longer able to restrain himself, broken down and burst into tears – his conflicting emotions toward this man, his friend, now revealed to be his would-be murderer, simply overwhelming him.

"Well," Maureen began, "it's certainly hard to know how to respond to that."

"I know how to respond to it," Don muttered under his breath.

"All right," John said. "Dr. Smith, your confession is appreciated, whatever prompted it. I'm sure it's too soon for any of us to know how we will react to this in the hours, days and months ahead. But at this moment, I am confining you to quarters. Robot, I am instructing you to guard Dr. Smith and prevent him from leaving his quarters."

"John," Don said. "We're going to need the Robot up here once we enter the Alpha Centauri system."

John thought for a second.

"You're right, Don," John said. "I'll guard him myself."

"Dad!" Will said. "You need to be up here too. Let me guard him."

"Oh, I don't know, son," John said. He knew how close Will had gotten to Dr. Smith. He wasn't sure of Will's objectivity. Will figured as much.

"Dad," Will insisted. "I get your concerns. My first and only loyalty is to my family. Now you and Don stay up here and get us to Alpha Centauri, and I'll guard the prisoner."

Dr. Smith winced at being described in that way, especially by Will. But what could he say?

"Penny," John said, "I want you to join your brother in guarding Dr. Smith. Now the both of you take him to his quarters now."

Penny nodded, then went to the weapon-supply compartment to get two laser rifles – one for her and one for Will. Then they escorted Dr. Smith to his compartment below. Once they departed, Don looked up at John, Maureen and Judy.

"To think that he's been with us for three years, knowing now the real story," Don said. "It just makes me – "

"Don," Judy interjected. "No one understands that better than I do. In the cave I damn near killed him. But in fairness, you should have seen how he was. It was during the attack by the aliens and he thought he was going to die. The guilt was killing him. I mean, I did have to sort of drag the whole truth out of him, but he was so regretful. And it was right after that he almost got himself killed running those deutronium canisters up to the alien ship."

"What are you saying, Judy?" Don demanded. "Are you defending him?"

"I'm not defending what he did at all," she answered. "I'm just saying that _he_ expresses remorse, and I do think some of his actions – at least of the past few days – tend to give credence to that."

"Why didn't you tell us right away?" Don asked impatiently.

"Because he had just saved our lives, and because we had to get the spaceship up in the air and you didn't need the distraction – and because I knew you would react like this," Judy said.

"React like what?" Don asked.

"Like you had the right to act as judge and jury over him," she retorted.

"_He tried to kill us!"_ Don shouted.

"And he just saved all our lives too!" Judy replied.

John and Maureen had been watching this entire exchange, occasionally glancing back and forth at each other as if to say, _How bad will this get?_ John decided it was time to step in.

"If you two think you could put this conversation on hold for a bit," John said, "don't we have a star we need to keep an eye out for?"

Don flung back in his chair.

"You're right," he said, and turned back to the controls. Judy paced the interior of the upper deck a bit, prompting Maureen to approach her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you OK, dear?" Maureen asked.

"I'll be fine, mother, I'll be fine," Judy insisted, as if trying to convince herself.

"I see it!" Don proclaimed. "I see the star! It has to be Alpha Centauri!"

Maureen and Judy ran to the front. John and Don fixed their eyes on the star in the distance, coming at them rapidly.

"Robot, report!" John said.

"Data confirms the approaching star is Alpha Centauri," the Robot said. "Entering star system. Recommend disabling of automatic navigation system in exactly three minutes."

Don prepared to take over the controls. As he did, he took a look at the fuel gauge. It was near empty again.

"John, how many more fuel canisters do we have?" Don asked.

"Five," John replied.

"Boy," Don said. "This is going to be close."

"We have now entered the Alpha Centauri star system," the Robot said. "Recommend disabling of automatic navigation system in two minutes."

"John," Don said, "can you add the other five canisters? We're going to need everything we can get to make it."

"I'm on it," John said, rising to get the canisters.

A planet passed them on their left. Then another. The star grew brighter.

"Recommend disabling of automatic navigation system in one minute," the Robot said.

"OK, I'm ready," Don said as two more planets passed. Maureen and Judy gazed out at Alpha Centauri, hardly believing that it was finally in front of them after three years. Don counted down the last few seconds and re-took control of the Jupiter 2.

"OK," Don said. "If you see a planet you like, holler."

* * *

"William, please," Dr. Smith implored, practically begging. "I would rather you scream at me than be silent. Please try to understand. I am not the man I was."

Smith's compartment door was closed. He spoke from behind it. Will and Penny, sitting outside armed with their laser rifles, looked at each other.

"Are you going to say anything to him?" Penny asked.

Will looked down.

"I have nothing to say," he said glumly.

"William," Dr. Smith tried again, "don't you remember when you and your family were heading south to get away from the cold, and I warned you to take shelter from the heat that only I knew was coming? Would I have done that if I wanted you dead?"

Will looked up.

"By that time you needed us alive because you couldn't fly the spaceship!" Will replied. "Besides, it was right around that same time that the Robot tried to kill me, when _you_ were still controlling it! Do you think I've forgotten _that_, Dr. Smith? Do you think I've forgotten how I ended up being taken by those aliens who wanted to use my brain to fly their ship, while you stood safely outside? Do you think I can't figure out that you made a deal with them? So don't talk to me like I'm some gullible kid, OK, Dr. Smith? I'm not having it. I'm not having your bullshit anymore."

Penny just watched. She had rarely, if ever, seen her brother feel so angry – so betrayed.

"William, you're right," Dr. Smith said. "At that time, my priority was nothing but myself. But in the past three years that I have come to know you and your family, you must believe me that that has changed, dear boy. _I_ have changed."

Will threw open his compartment door and got in Dr. Smith's face.

"_How_ have you changed?" he demanded. "Because you step up to prove yourself when you have no choice? Why did you decide to tell us now? _Why?_ Because Judy made you? Because Judy threatened to tell us all if you didn't?"

Smith paused for a moment. He knew his answer wouldn't help him.

"Because the imminent contact with Alpha Control likely would have yielded the truth," Smith acknowledged. "My choice was to come clean or be exposed. Your sister Judy recommended that I take matters into my own hands, and I agreed."

Will nodded disgustedly.

"Of course," he said. "You tell the truth when you have to, and _only_ when you have to."

"Will, please," Smith said. "I beg you to consider our friendship these past three years. All the experiences we have shared. Please."

"_Friendship?"_ Will repeated, getting angrier. "We are not friends. We are _not_ friends! We were _never _friends! Our 'friendship' (Will air-quoted) occurred under false pretenses, because someone forgot to tell me that you had first tried to _kill me!_"

As he uttered those words, Will shoved Dr. Smith in the chest and knocked him to the floor.

"So you can forget about trying to make yourself feel better by telling yourself how you've been my friend," Will continued, ranting. "There was no friendship. Just a three-year-long act of fraud. Now exposed."

Still lying on the ground, Dr. Smith began to weep. Outside the compartment, Penny wept too.

* * *

_Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio_

The white-haired man, in his late 50s, wore tan slacks and a golf shirt as he ran a piece of sandpaper across a four-foot-long model ship. The garage door was open on a breezy, relatively warm fall day.

He and his son had begun building the model as a father-son project – one of their many – and the man was determined to finish the project to honor his son's legacy. Day after day he stood in the garage working on the model. He hoped to finish it this year before winter set in and it became too cold to work in the garage.

Taking a break from sanding, he looked up to gaze at a photograph of his son. A lump forming in his throat, he took the sandpaper in his hand and went to resume sanding, when his wife's voice interrupted him.

"Bill," she said, standing in the doorway holding the cordless phone, "there's an urgent call from Col. Greenway at Alpha Control."

Bill looked up, surprised.

"Alpha Control?" he said. "What could _they_ want?"

"I don't know," his wife said. "But she said to put you on speaker phone because we would both want to hear it."

She brought the phone out, stood next to him and hit the speaker button.

"Col. Greenway?" she said. "I'm here with Bill."

"Bill?" said the voice on the other end.

"Yes," the man said. "This is Bill West."

"Bill? Joanne? I have amazing news. We have just received a transmission from the Jupiter 2. We are in communication with your son right now."

The Wests looked at each other in stunned amazement, neither knowing what to say.

"Bill? Joanne? Are you there?" Col. Greenway said.

"Yes," Joanne said, fumbling for words. "Yes! We're here!"

The next words they heard were not in the voice of Col. Greenway.

"Mom? Dad?"

Their hearts leapt.

"Mom? Dad? How are the Browns looking this year?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I am the forgotten drummer from Swing Out Sister.

**Chapter 11**

Bill West was overcome with emotion. His wife, Joanne, took the phone and deactivated the speaker function while Bill sat down to catch his breath and wipe his eyes.

"Donny," Joanne said through sobs and tears of joy. "Oh dear God, Donny, we were so sure we'd lost you."

"Mom, I figured that was the case," Don said, fighting back tears himself. "We've been so far away, and every day I wanted to find a way to get in touch with you, but it just wasn't possible."

"Are you home now, Donny?" Joanne asked hopefully.

"No, Mom, I'm afraid we're five light years away from you," Don said. "But that's actually good news because it means we've finally reached Alpha Centauri. And we're OK. Listen, Mom, I'm afraid I can only talk to you for a moment, but I had to let you know that I'm OK. Dad's being awfully quiet."

"I know, Donny, he's a little overwhelmed right now, but he's sitting right here. Please don't hang up until he can say something to you."

Joanne handed Bill the phone. His hand was shaking a little as he took it.

"Don," Bill said, "the Browns started 2-1, but since then they've lost six in a row. They lost at home to the Bengals last Sunday. The _Bengals!"_

"But at least they're back, Dad," Don said, a huge grin on his face. "And it sounds like they're the same old Browns."

"Don," Bill said, choking back tears, "I've missed you so much. I'm almost done with the ship. Will you be home to help me finish it?"

"I don't know, Dad," Don said. "We've just reached Alpha Centauri, so we're still a long ways from home. But at least we know where we are, which we didn't for the past three years."

"Don, did they tell you what happened to your flight?" Bill asked, a hint of anger seeping into his voice. "This Zachary Smith character who they think sabotaged you, then disappeared? They've been looking for him ever since. If they ever find this bastard I think I will personally show up and strangle him with my bare hands."

"Dad," Don interrupted, "I want so much to talk to you more, but they're telling me we have to go. We're closing in on the planet we came here to try to colonize and I have to get ready to make a landing. Dad, I love you. You and Mom, I love you both. I'll get back in touch after we land, OK?"

"We love you too, Don," Bill said, now completely overcome with emotion and crying without restraint. "Be safe, son."

The call went dead. Bill put down the phone and took Joanne into his arms. They held each other and cried tears of joy. Then they got down on their knees and gave thanks to God.

* * *

_Houston_

Engineers and technicians scurried about, stunned by the communication they had just received. General Andrew Connell of the U.S. Space Corps, just called in from USSC headquarters across town, hurriedly entered the room, looking for Col. Katherine Greenway.

"Col. Greenway," said Connell, quickly returning her salute, "this business about a transmission from the Jupiter 2 had better not be a false alarm. My office downtown is in an absolute frenzy over this."

"See for yourself," Greenway said, motioning to the primary radio in the middle of the Alpha Control command center. "We're on the line with Major West right now."

"Unbelievable," Connell said, making his way to the microphone, which he took in his hand. "Jupiter 2, this is General Andrew Connell of the U.S. Space Corps. Please confirm identification."

A familiar voice came over the speaker:

"This is Major Donald West of the U.S. Space Corps, pilot of the Jupiter 2."

"Don," Connell said. "Good Lord. What is your position?"

"We have just entered the Alpha Centauri star system and are currently investigating for the presence of a planet that can sustain human life, per our mission parameters," Don replied.

"How did you get there, Don?" Connell asked. "Especially after we lost contact with you and had indications that the Jupiter 2 had been destroyed by sabotage."

Aboard the Jupiter, Don briefly lowered the microphone and turned to look at John, Maureen and Judy. John ran his hand across his neck as if to say, "Not now."

"General," Don said. "There is so much to that story, I wouldn't even know where to start. But to the matter at hand, we expect to shortly determine whether a planet exists here that we can inhabit. I must tell you we are low on fuel and in the event we don't find a place to put down, we're going to have a serious problem here."

"Wait, Don," Connell said. "I think we can help you out with some of this. We've learned more about the Alpha Centauri system in the three years since you lifted off. As best we can tell, the first planet of the Alpha Centauri system is the planet most likely to be capable of sustaining human life. It's about 81 million miles from the star and appears to have an abundant water supply. We've taken to calling it Alpha Prime."

"General, this is John Robinson," came a second voice. "This is excellent news. Thank you. We will head directly for Alpha Prime."

"Professor Robinson," Connell replied, "how have you and your family been holding up these past three years?"

"Well," John said, "it hasn't been easy, but we're all alive and well."

"When did you emerge from the freezing tubes?" Connell wondered.

"About eight hours after we lifted off," John replied.

"You've been awake and aware that entire time?" Connell asked, stunned.

"Indeed," John said. "General, we felt it was important to make a transmission to Alpha Control given the opportunity. Right now we need to focus on getting to Alpha Prime. As Major West mentioned, we are running very low on fuel and I can't be certain what our situation will be when we reach there. But we will stay in contact. This is Jupiter 2 signing off for now."

"Godspeed, John," Connell said, then turned to survey the scene. Scientists and flight engineers were scurrying to occupy work stations and get them functional. Connell could hardly believe it. Since the presumed demise of the Jupiter 2, Alpha Control had been relegated to second-class-citizen status within the Space Corps. No one _wanted_ to be assigned to Alpha Control. Its budget had been slashed to a mere pittance and only a few unlucky souls found themselves with the undesirable and thankless task of sitting around at the controls . . . just in case.

No one had ever seriously thought "just in case" would come to pass, until today. Until it did.

"General," Col. Greenway said, "before you arrived I took the liberty of contacting Major West's parents in Ohio and giving them an opportunity to speak with him. Needless to say, they were astonished and thrilled."

Connell pondered that for a second.

"That was the right call, Colonel," Connell said. "I'm glad the Wests were able to hear that happy news. Now what can we do to help the Jupiter 2 successfully reach Alpha Prime? They tell us they're low on fuel. It would be a terrible shame if the mission were to fall short at this juncture."

"I agree," Greenway said. "But I'm honestly not sure what we can do. They're five light years away from us. We can't exactly bring them a new fuel supply. I think the best we can do is to keep in communication with them and try to offer them helpful guidance if they need it."

"That doesn't seem like enough," Connell said.

"I agree," Greenway said. "It does not."

* * *

Tcialiando stood outside Nickas's ship.

"Nickas, we are ready for you to inspect the radar and defense system," Tcialiando called.

Nickas came to the open hatch.

"Is it operational?" he asked.

"It is," Tcialiando said. "Are you ready for the inspection?"

Without saying a word, Nickas dismounted the ship and followed Tcialiando to the demonstration point. The full inspection of the system would have to wait until a few hours later when he would fly in his ship to the various ground-mounted missile sites across the planet. The radar station was one of four that had been strategically stationed around Alpha Prime to detect any sort of incoming craft. Once defense officers detected an approaching spacecraft, the pilot would have 10 seconds to identify it as Neyoran, or the nearest ground-mounted missile would automatically destroy it.

The defense officer would have to take action to deactivate the missile. If he didn't, it would fire automatically.

Nickas surveyed the radar installation.

"Have you tested it?" Nickas asked.

"Nickas, we only have nine spacecraft on the planet," Tcialiando said. "The only way to test it would be to send one of them up there, instruct it to approach the planet and subject it to missile fire."

"The pilot could eject, could he not?" Nickas asked.

"He could," Tcialiando said, "although it would be very risky at that altitude, and regardless of the pilot's fate, we would lose one of our spacecraft. They're our only shelter at the moment."

"It is simply unacceptable not to test the defense system," Nickas said. "Once we know it's complete, we can get to work building more permanent shelters from the raw materials available here. They are certainly plentiful. But our defense system _must_ work. I am willing to sacrifice a spacecraft, and a pilot if necessary."

"Nickas," Tcialiando began nervously, remembering the fate of Elblemeltha, "do we have any reason to believe an attack is likely? I agree with the need for a defense system, but with all due respect, I don't understand the urgency."

Anger settled in over Nickas's face. He raised his voice.

"_We must test the defense system and test it now!" _he raged.

Tcialiando backed away a step or two. He wondered if Nickas would reach for his laser pistol, and was relieved that he did not.

"Very well," Tcialiando said. "I will fly the mission myself."

"No you won't," Nickas said. "You're aware of the nature of the mission. The pilot who flies the mission must be unaware of what might happen, just as an invader would be unaware."

"Nickas, all the pilots know how the defense system works," Tcialiando explained.

"Then pick one and tell him it's been deactivated!" Nickas insisted. "Come up with a pretext for assignment!"

Tcialiando took a deep breath and a drink of water. His gills were still adjusting to the relatively dry atmosphere on Alpha Prime, and they continually grasped for moisture that was not to be found.

"Yes sir," Tcialiando said. As Nickas walked away, Tcialiando approached the pilot known as Csirali, who had no family.

"Csirali," Tcialiando said, "we need to do a test of our pilot ejector seats. I need you to take a craft beyond the planet's atmosphere and then re-enter it, approaching the 45th parallel in the northwest quadrant. The defense officers will ask you for identification, and when you give it they will de-activate the missiles."

"When?" Csirali asked.

"Now," Tcialiando replied.

"OK," Csirali said. "How will the test work?"

"Wait for my command and then eject," Tcialiando explained.

"All right, then," Csirali said. "But why do I have to go all the way outside the atmosphere to do an ejector test?"

"Nickas wants to see if it will work at that altitude," Tcialiando told him.

Csirali got an incredulous look on his face.

"Because . . .?" he said.

"Because Nickas wants it," Tcialiando said, ending the discussion.

Csirali raised his left elbow and headed for his ship. As Csirali prepared for takeoff, Tcialiando contacted the defense officer manning the defense system for the northwest quandrant, instructing him to regard Csirali's self-identification as unacceptable and to allow the missile to fire.

"Why do you want me to that?" the officer said. "Csirali will be killed."

"Csirali will eject before you fire the missile," Tcialiando said. "This is part of testing the system. You have your orders."

_One hour later_

Csirali began his approach back into Alpha Prime's atmosphere at a normal approach speed. His automatic guidance system honed in on the northwest quadrant, and he set it to do an automatic landing. Picking up his transmitter, Csirali asked Tcialiando, "When do I eject?"

"Wait for my command," Tcialiando said.

Csirali was a little annoyed that he couldn't even get a hint as to the timing he should expect, but it was pretty clear that Tcialiando intended to keep him in the dark for whatever reason. So he kept the ejector mechanism ready to activate, and he waited, until another voice came over his speaker.

"Spacecraft," said the voice, "you have 10 seconds to identify yourself."

"This is Csirali, pilot of Neyora spacecraft L14FV," he said. "Please confirm identification."

Silence.

"Please confirm identification," Csirali repeated.

"Csirali, this is Tcialiando. Prepare to eject."

"Why aren't they confirming my identification?" Csirali demanded. "How do I know they got my transmission? Repeat, please confirm identification!"

Tcialiando had been afraid of this. He didn't want Csirali to worry about the identification issue. He was wasting precious seconds. He wanted him to get out of there.

"Csirali, eject now!" Tcialiando demanded.

"What's going on here?" Csirali asked, sounding panicked. As he did, his radar detected an incoming missile. "Why are they firing at me? Tcialiando, what's going on here?"

"Eject now!" Tcialiando demanded again. "That is a direct order!"

Csirali hit the eject button and his seat shot up through the top of the ship. Seconds after he cleared the top, the missile slammed into his ship. The force of the blast instantly engulfed Csirali's body in flames and catapulted it across the sky. Debris from the destroyed spacecraft began falling to the ground.

Tcialiando bowed his head, realizing what had happened. He raised Nickas on the radio.

"Nickas, this is Tcialiando. The test of the defense system has succeeded. Unfortunately, our pilot Csirali lost his life in the test."

Nickas's reply was completely dispassionate.

"Excellent," he said.

* * *

Dr. Smith hadn't said a word for hours. Will and Penny were mostly quiet as well, save for the occasional small talk or a quick speculation about how long until they might arrive at Alpha Prime. They had heard the entire transmission with Alpha Control via the lower-deck auxiliary speakers, so they'd been cheered to hear the interaction between Don and his parents. No doubt their grandparents would be equally thrilled to hear that they were alive and well, and they hoped Alpha Control would get the word to them quickly.

Dr. Smith had also been touched by the sound of Mr. and Mrs. West's voices, and to hear the genuine affection between them and Don. This was a time for Dr. Smith to confront some real truths about himself and his attitudes toward others. He had clashed with Don more than anyone on the journey, but now he had to admit to himself that their conflicts almost always resulted from Don's suspicion of him – suspicion Dr. Smith could no longer pretend was unjustified. To hear him talk to his parents only reinforced the truth that Don was a person of exceptional character, and that he was correct in his disdain for Dr. Smith.

Facing the truth was somewhat liberating for Dr. Smith, but he was paying a heavy price in his companions' heightened disdain for him. He wondered if he would ever get an opportunity to truly redeem himself. He was starting to doubt it.

"Will! Penny!" said Judy's voice as she hurried down the ladder from the upper deck. "Dad wants everyone on deck! We're approaching the planet! We're approaching Alpha Prime!"

"I don't believe it!" Will exclaimed, running for the elevator.

"What about Dr. Smith?" Penny wondered.

"Dad!" Judy shouted toward the top, "should Dr. Smith stay down below?"

Up top, John and Don looked at each other.

"Someone would have to stay down there and guard him," John said. "It wouldn't be fair to that person not to get a chance to see the planet."

Don nodded.

"Judy, have Penny and Will bring Dr. Smith up with them, and keep him under guard as they do," John said.

Judy repeated the instructions to Will and Penny, and Dr. Smith was escorted from his quarters to the elevator, and then to the upper deck where Penny kept her laser rifle at the ready.

The planet was strikingly beautiful. It appeared to be covered with ocean-size bodies of water and green land masses. In all their travels, the Jupiter crew hadn't seen a planet anything like it.

"If it's anything like it looks from up here," Maureen said, "it will be a beautiful place to live."

"It _is _striking," John agreed. "I don't want us to get our hopes up, but I can't deny that I like what I see."

"You may get to go for that swim yet, Will," Judy said, poking her brother in the arm.

Will smiled for the first time in hours, finally starting to push his feeling of betrayal to the back of his mind.

Don grasped the controls and asked the Robot, "Estimated time until we enter the planet's atmosphere?"

"Estimated entry into planet's atmosphere, nine minutes," the Robot reported.

"OK," John said, "everyone better get down below and strap in. Strap in Dr. Smith first so he's secure, and then the rest of you get strapped in. Don and I will stay up here and guide the ship in for a landing."

Everyone turned toward the back to head down below, but as they did their movement was interrupted by a piercing alarm sound.

"What's going on?" Will asked.

"Danger!" the Robot said. "Fuel supplies near empty!"

Don checked the fuel gauge. It read "EMPTY."

"Damn!" Don said. "We're running on fumes right now. For all intents and purposes we are out of fuel."

"Can we land?" Judy asked.

"I don't know," Don said. "We're still going forward, but I don't know how much of that is momentum that will taper off, how much of it is from the fumes that are still in the engine and how much of it is the planet's gravity pulling us in. My fear is that we'll enter the planet's atmosphere and then lose all control of the ship just when we need it to be able to land."

"We've crash-landed before, Don," Will said. "It certainly wouldn't be the first time."

"No, Will," Don said. "I'm not talking about crash-landing like we've done before. I'm talking about _crashing_, period. When we've crash-landed in the past, it's been because conditions in the atmosphere prevented us from putting down the landing gear and doing a hover maneuver, but we could at least set the autopilot and coast in before hitting the ground. With no fuel, we're simply going to fall to the ground. We'll be helpless to stop it."

"What do we do?" Penny pleaded, suddenly sounding panicked.

"OK, first thing is for everyone to remain calm," John said. "What options are available to us for getting on the ground? We know one way to get there is to crash."

"Well," Don said. "The only other things available to us are the jet chutes and the space pod. The space pod is only designed to carry two people."

"Could we send the space pod in multiple trips?" Maureen asked? "We could send Will and Penny first, then have them send it back to get two more until we're all on the ground."

"Robot?" Don asked. "Can we do that?"

"Negative," the Robot said. "Estimated time of impact, 13 minutes. If the space pod leaves the Jupiter, it will not have time to return even once."

"What about the chutes?" Will asked. "I'll volunteer to go down with one."

"Not an acceptable option," John said. "The chutes are much too unstable. Remember the time I went down and it didn't open until I was 100 feet from the ground? We can't risk that happening to anyone else."

"Well I don't see an option that's acceptable," Don said.

"We have to try the space pod," John said. "It's the only thing that has a chance."

"Who goes?" Maureen asked.

"We all do," John said.

"We'll never fit in there," Don said. "It's designed to carry two people."

"Extraordinary challenges sometimes require you to throw out the rule book," John said. "We have to try. Everyone follow me."

John climbed down the ladder to the lower deck. Will and Judy followed on the ladder. The others took the elevator, including Dr. Smith with Penny still holding him at riflepoint. Once everyone was below, John opened the hatch to the space pod.

"All right," he said. "Everyone squeeze in. We have to try to make this work. Women first."

Maureen, Judy and Penny made their way toward the front and the corners. John motioned for Will to follow next. Don kept an eye on Dr. Smith.

"Don't you think of running off anywhere, Smith," Don said.

"Where would I go, Major?" Smith replied softly.

John motioned for Don, Dr. Smith and the Robot to enter next. Everyone tried to squeeze together to make room. They held their breath and squeezed in their guts. John tried to squeeze in, too.

"It's not working, John," Don said. "Everyone simply can't squeeze in. There's no way we will ever get the Robot in here, and even without him, I don't see how seven of us can fit. Someone is going to have to stay behind, John."

John stepped outside the pod and faced the others. He knew it was true. They might be able to barely squeeze in six people without the Robot. Seven would never work.

"John," Don said, "I'll stay behind."

"No!" Judy protested.

Don waved her off.

"Judy," he said, "we have to think logically here. I'm the pilot. If anyone has a chance to somehow maneuver the ship to a safe landing, it's me. And on the off chance I can do it, we'll still have our spaceship. I'm the logical one to stay with the ship."

"But Don, your parents!" Judy said, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "They would be heartbroken!"

"Judy, I know," Don said, taking both her hands in hers. "I know how hard this is, but –"

"If I may," Dr. Smith interrupted. "Major West, you need to go in the pod with the others. You will be needed on the ground. And it's out of the question that any member of the Robinson family should be left behind. In light of the information I shared with you earlier, I think it's painfully obvious who needs to stay with the ship. I am prepared to be accountable for my acts, and given our present circumstances, that means I stay with the ship."

Everyone looked at Dr. Smith. No one was sure what to say. Will was filled with conflicting emotions.

"William," Dr. Smith said. "I understand your anger with me. It is entirely justified. I can only pray that in time you will find it in your heart to forgive me. Professor Robinson, can we confirm this decision and get on with things? You and your family and Major West need to get in the space pod and land on Alpha Prime."

"Dr. Smith," John said, "this feels like pronouncing a death sentence on you. That doesn't seem like justice."

"For attempted murder, it is justice indeed," Smith said. "And it is the only sensible option. My friend here (turning toward the Robot) and I will ride it out the best we can, and if by some miracle we make it safely to the ground, I hope we can rendezvous and meet as friends."

John took a breath. There was no getting around the fact that Dr. Smith's suggestion made sense. And he didn't have the luxury of time to ponder it anyway.

"Dr. Smith," John said. "Thank you for your sacrifice."

"Not at all," Smith said. "It's only right."

Will approached Dr. Smith, hesitated for a second and extended his hand. Smith took it and smiled.

"Dr. Smith, I'm sorry for what I said about us not being friends," Will said. "I didn't mean it. I was angry."

"You had every right, William," Dr. Smith said. "I shall always treasure our friendship. Now go with your family and take good care of them, do you hear me?"

Will nodded. Tears were filling his eyes. He turned toward the Robot.

"Goodbye, Robot," Will said.

"Goodbye, Will Robinson," the Robot said. "You have been a true friend."

"So have you," Will said, turning to face the others. Every face was sad. All the women were crying. Will headed for the space pod, and the others began to follow, squeezing in as best they could. When John had finally made his way inside, he successfully closed the hatch.

"I have no idea how the space pod will perform with six of us on board," John said, "but it's landed before with the Robot's weight on board, so maybe we have a chance."

Don reached for the controls, opened the lower hatch and ejected the space pod from the Jupiter 2.

"What about our food supply?" Maureen wondered.

"There's no time and no room," John said. "Maybe we can locate the Jupiter after it crashes and retrieve the food. Or maybe we can find new food supplies on the surface. I wish we had time to think about that right now, but our focus has to be on landing safely."

Still aboard the Jupiter, Dr. Smith and the Robot ascended to the upper deck and took positions at the controls. Dr. Smith settled into Don's pilot seat and strapped himself in.

"I suppose this is true justice," Smith said. "Coming to my end in the company of you."

"For what it's worth, Dr. Smith," the Robot said. "I found your confession and your voluntary sacrifice to be signs of true character."

"How touching," Smith said. As he looked out through the window, he could see that the Jupiter was entering Alpha Prime's atmosphere and the surface was becoming visible in more detail.

"What do you think are our chances of surviving the impact?" Dr. Smith asked.

"Insufficient data," the Robot said. "We will have a better chance of surviving if we strike water."

"But how would we ever make our way to land?" Smith asked.

Smith's thought was interrupted by an unintelligible transmission over the radio. He picked up the transmitter.

"Say again?" Smith said. "I couldn't understand what you said."

"Danger! Danger!" the Robot exclaimed while waving his arms.

"Of course we're in danger, you ninny!" Smith declared. "We're going to crash and die!"

"Danger!" the Robot repeated. "Incoming missile!"

"Where?" Smith asked nervously.

"Two o'clock!" the Robot said.

"Time of impact?" Smith asked.

"90 seconds!" the Robot said.

Smith jumped up.

"What about the jet chutes? We could abandon the ship and try to land with them!"

He ran to the supply stash and grabbed a chute.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but come here you metallic menace!" Smith insisted.

Dr. Smith stood alongside the Robot and quickly strapped the jet chute harness around the both of them, then stood on the Robot's platform feet and ordered him to head toward the airlock.

"Maybe we've got some life in us yet," Smith said. "Are you ready?"

"It is time, Dr. Smith," the Robot said.

"Go!" he ordered.

The Robot opened the outer airlock, wheeled himself to the edge and tumbled over, with Dr. Smith hanging on for dear life. With the weight of the Robot, the two began falling at an incredibly high speed.

"When should we activate the chute?" Smith asked.

"Ten seconds," the Robot replied. Smith got ready to trigger the chute, then looked up one last time at the Jupiter 2. He caught sight of it just in time to see the missile achieve a direct hit, causing the ship to explode violently. Dr. Smith, still hurtling toward the surface of Alpha Prime, tried to focus on the final count to trigger the jet chute.

He tried not to think about the fact that the Jupiter 2 had just been completely destroyed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I am going to save the credit markets with my trusty jet pack.

**Chapter 12**

All the Robinsons and Major West heard the explosion. They couldn't see it, but they heard it. Judy especially couldn't help but recall the moments in the cave, back on the previous planet, when she and Dr. Smith had heard the loud explosions and seen the dark smoke rising from the site of the Jupiter 2. What logical deduction could they have made at the time, other than to believe the Jupiter had been destroyed? Judy found herself pondering the same question again.

"Dad, what do you think?" Will asked.

"I think we can't know for sure," John said. "If it was the Jupiter, I doubt it was caused by anything internal. It didn't even have any fuel left on board. And if it wasn't the Jupiter, it means we're not alone."

"Either way, I think it means that," Don said. "If the Jupiter exploded, and it didn't blow itself up, then someone else blew it up. Probably the same people who attacked us back on the planet, and as we were passing Vuldalia."

"It's hard to imagine it could really be gone," Judy said. "After these past three years, I can't imagine life without the Jupiter 2."

"Well not only that," Maureen said, "but if there are hostile forces down there, how are we going to protect ourselves without a spaceship? Do we even have any weapons?"

"We have two laser rifles aboard the space pod," Don said. "Since we don't have enough for all of us, we're going to need to stick together when we get to the surface. I'm going to call Alpha Control. (He picked up the transmitter.) Alpha Control, this is Jupiter 2. Come in."

"Jupiter 2, this is Alpha Control. Go ahead, Major West. This is Greenway."

"Colonel, our circumstances have become a bit more complicated," Don reported. "We have been forced to abandon our primary ship because it didn't have sufficient fuel to land. The six of us are landing in the space pod. We were forced to leave the Robot and Dr. Smith aboard the ship."

"Dr. Smith?" Greenway piped up. "Come again?"

Don paused. He had momentarily forgotten that Alpha Control was still unaware of Dr. Smith's presence aboard the Jupiter 2. As far as they knew, he was still a fugitive somewhere on Earth, and they were trying to pursue him.

"Major West," Greenway came back again. "Who do you mean by Dr. Smith?"

"I'm talking about Dr. Zachary Smith," Don said. "Your saboteur. He's been with us since we launched."

Greenway was shocked.

"When were you going to tell me this, Major West?" Greenway asked a little impatiently.

"After we landed safely and ensured that everyone got to the surface alive, Colonel," Don said. "It was just a bit of a complicated issue to get into in the midst of all this, but I just slipped and let the cat out of the bag. Look, we can get into the details of that at another time, but I also need to report to you that we just heard a very loud explosion. If, as we suspect may be the case, the Jupiter 2 has exploded, presumably Dr. Smith is now dead, and we've also lost our Robot."

"What is your ETA for landing on Alpha Prime, Major?" Greenway asked.

"We're about two minutes away, Colonel," Don said. "There's another thing I haven't told you. Before we left the planet we'd been occupying to come here, we encountered hostiles who attacked us with multiple missiles. We were able to kill those hostiles and successfully take off, but we were attacked again on our way here. We also escaped that attack, but we believe the attacks were related, and we suspect the same group of people – whoever they are – may also be waiting for us here on Alpha Prime."

"Don," Greenway said, catching her breath, "did you just tell me that you were attacked by aliens?"

"Yes I did, Colonel," Don said.

"So you have just confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life," Greenway said with a very serious tone in her voice. That made Don chuckle a little.

"What's so funny, Major?" Greenway asked.

"Well, with all due respect, Colonel," Don said, "I'm sure it's very big news to you that we are not alone in the universe, but it's pretty much been a run-of-the-mill fact of our everyday lives for the past three years. Nevertheless, I apologize for my flip attitude about it. I wasn't thinking about your perspective on the matter."

"OK, Don," Greenway said. "There's obviously a lot you still have to tell us, and I understand you're preoccupied with landing right now."

"I am, Colonel," Don said. "And I have to end this transmission so I can focus on it completely. I will report back after we're on the ground. Jupiter 2 signing off."

As Don ended the transmission, he began hovering just above the ground. Although the landing was a bit rougher than usual with six people aboard, Don was having little trouble controlling the pod. Having everyone squeezed in so close was more of a challenge, although he was pinned up against Judy, and he didn't mind that too terribly.

"We might thump a bit here, everyone, so brace yourselves for it," Don said.

"Like we could move," Will cracked. That caused everyone to chuckle a little, and they definitely needed the levity.

Don finished the pod's descent and it touched the ground with ever so slight a thud. Will motioned to open the door but John grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Dad, I was just going to open it," Will said. "We're like sardines in here."

"I understand that, Will," John said. "But there's something I don't know if anyone is considering. We haven't tested the atmosphere on this planet, and we don't have the Robot to do it for us."

Everyone's heart skipped a beat. The primary reason for the Robot's presence on the journey was for this very moment. As a B-9, environmental-control robot, his function was to venture out upon their arrival on the target planet – _this _planet – and test the atmosphere to ensure it could support human life. No one had anticipated arriving without his availability to serve that function. And to complicate matters further, the space pod had no inner and outer airlock, which meant they couldn't choose a single volunteer to venture outside. Once the hatch was opened, it would be all or nothing.

"I just want to make sure everyone is prepared for this," John said. "Once we open that hatch, hopefully we will find an agreeable atmosphere and we will all be able to survive here. But we can't know that until we test it, and unfortunately, without the Robot to serve as our test subject, we ourselves will be the test subjects."

Everyone took deep breaths. No one knew for sure if those breaths would be their last. If they couldn't breathe the atmosphere here, they would have nowhere to go. They would all die.

"I just want everyone to know that no matter what happens, I love you all," Maureen said. Everyone echoed the sentiments. Silently, Judy took Don's hand and grasped it.

"I think we're ready," Maureen said. "Will, go ahead and open the hatch."

Will grasped the handle, pushed it down and shoved the hatch open, then quickly jumped to the ground and took a few steps forward to give others a chance to jump out – if they wanted to. Will stretched his muscles and took a deep breath. The air was clear and invigorating. He exhaled heartily and took in another swig of the atmosphere.

"Everyone come out!" Will exclaimed joyfully. "We've found ourselves a new home!"

One by one – Don, John, Penny, Judy and Maureen – they bounded out of the space pod, took their first breaths of the planet's atmosphere and looked around. While you can't judge an entire planet by one spot, their first impression was breathtaking. Green fields covered the landscape, surrounded by lush forests and sparkling lakes and ponds. Wildlife and birds appeared plentiful, but none shared the frightening characteristics of some of the creatures they had seen on other planets. These animals were tame and beautiful. Their coats were shiny, their nature was nonthreatening and they seemed only too happy to welcome their visitors.

Will ran up to a nearby tree that was teeming with colorful fruit. Without even thinking about it, he plucked a piece of fruit from the tree and took a bite, causing his father to shout in a panicky voice:

"Will! Don't eat that!"

It was too late. Will had already swallowed a bite of the fruit before he remembered the rule about not eating alien vegetation before it had been tested.

"Nice going, butt munch," Penny said.

"Penny!" Maureen implored her, although Judy giggled a little at the dig.

"Sorry, Dad," Will said. "But how are we going to test it? The lab and all the equipment are aboard the Jupiter."

"He's right, Dad," Judy said. "If the Jupiter is gone, we have no choice but to eat what we find here. It's just like with the atmosphere. We'll just have to try it and hope it's OK. We all will."

"Well," John said, "we don't know for sure that the Jupiter is gone. But there's merit to what you're saying. We have to prepare for the possibility that we can't survive here unless the planet's own resources can sustain us."

"The same goes for shelter," Don said. "We need to build some sort of shelter, and we don't even have any tools. Maybe we can fashion something from the parts on the space pod, but that's about it. I doubt we'll need to take off in it again. It's pretty much here or bust."

"Will," Maureen said. "Do you feel OK? Is it bothering your stomach at all?"

"I feel great, Mom," Will said. "I want to eat the rest of it."

* * *

The surface of the planet was getting larger and clearer – the details becoming more vivid – with every millisecond. Dr. Smith could feel the nervousness in his insides welling up with incredible intensity as the Robot counted down the final seconds before deploying the jet chute.

"Three, two, one," the Robot called out. "Deploy chute!"

Dr. Smith pressed the deployment control as hard as he could. Nothing.

"Aaaaaiiiyyyy!" he cried. "It's not working!"

"Press the control again, Dr. Smith," the Robot said.

"I'm pressing it! It's not working! We'll be flattened!"

Dr. Smith was going into full-fledge panic mode.

"Put the control in front of me," the Robot said.

"What?" Smith snapped back. "What are you going to do, you imbecile?"

"Put the control in front of me, Dr. Smith!" the Robot insisted.

Smith did so, and the Robot fired his lightning laser at the control. The chute fired. While the weight of the Robot mitigated the effect somewhat, Dr. Smith felt his body jerk as if suddenly being yanked upward. In fact, his downward velocity had merely slowed, but dramatically so.

But had it slowed enough? He and the Robot were less than 300 feet from the ground.

"We're still falling too fast!" Smith said. "We're going to hit the ground too hard!"

The Robot could offer only one response:

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

They crashed to the ground. The Robot's mechanical feet his first, emitting a loud crashing sound and jack-knifing his body from his feet. Dr. Smith let go upon impact and thumped hard on the ground – flat on his back.

"Oh, my aching back!" Smith cried.

"For once," said the dismembered Robot, "I can believe that lament is legitimate."

Smith pushed himself up from the ground. He was sore, but seemingly none the worse for wear. He looked at the Robot, who had become disconnected from his feet and was lying flat on the ground.

"What was that childish exclamation, you mechanical moron?" Smith demanded.

"I am not programmed for fear," the Robot said. "If disaster is inevitable, my philosophy is, have fun!"

"Your philosophy, my foot!" Dr. Smith said. "Look at you. You're a mess. And you're not much good to either one of us like that."

"I would appreciate a hand, Dr. Smith," the Robot said.

"A hand you will need all right," Smith said. "An army of them no less. But I've only two. How do you expect me to put you back together?"

"I suggest you use leverage, Dr. Smith," the Robot said. "Put my feet up against the rest of my body and use them as leverage to hoist me upward. Then you will only have to lift me a few inches to return me to my feet. Does it appear you can re-attach me?"

Smith looked at the base of the feet. No pieces had been broken clear off. It appeared he could snap the body back in place with a reasonable amount of effort, which was probably still more than he wanted to make. But he didn't like the idea of facing this new planet, especially with an enemy presumably still out there, without the Robot.

"All right you jabbering jalopy," Smith said, "up you go."

He did as the Robot suggested, pushing the feet up against the body, then leveraging the body upward and putting his arms around the body to prepare to lift it back onto the feet.

"Lift with your knees, not your back, Dr. Smith," the Robot said.

"Don't you remember that I'm the doctor here?" Smith retorted.

"I don't recall mastery of physical exertion as one of your personal areas of expertise," the Robot said.

"I could still _leave_ you in this condition, you nitwit, so I suggest you button it!" Smith said.

Dr. Smith bent his knees, took a deep breath and lifted the Robot's body, trying to center it on the connection point to re-mount it on the mechanical feet. It seemed to hit the target, but didn't quite connect and started to fall forward.

"Nooooo!" Smith said and put his shoulder underneath the falling mechanical body, hoisting it back upward and this time hitting the connection point perfectly.

_Snap!_

"Thank you, Dr. Smith," the Robot said. "Now you merely need to fasten the two snaps."

"Is my servitude to you never finished?" Smith said. He bent down and fastened the snaps.

The Robot stretched his mechanical arms and pivoted his body a couple of times.

"Aaaah!" he said. "It feels good to be all me again."

"Well what do we do now?" Smith asked.

"My censors indicate that the space pod landed approximately a three miles in that direction," the Robot said, pointing due east.

"Oh dear," Smith said. "Three miles. After a fall like that, and the exertion required to put the likes of you back together?"

"Dr. Smith," the Robot said, "I might suggest that given the events of the past few minutes, we are very fortunate to be alive."

"Yes, I suppose we are," Smith said. For the first time, he took a second to look around at his new surroundings on Alpha Prime. The lush green environs, the blooming vegetation, the clean air, the glistening water . . . Dr. Smith had tried thousands of time to argue against coming here. But now that he had a chance to behold it, he was awestruck. He had never seen such a beautiful place – not even on Earth.

"Three miles that way, you say?" Dr. Smith said.

"Affirmative," the Robot replied.

"All right, let's go," Smith said. "Let's meet up with the Robinsons and Major West. Won't they be surprised to see us?"

Smith thought about his decision to stay aboard the Jupiter 2, freeing up the others to escape in the space pod. He thought about his statement that if he somehow made it, he hoped he and they could rendezvous as friends. He hoped his sacrifice would trump his earlier transgressions in their minds, but he wouldn't know for sure until they reconnected.

As he contemplated this while he and the Robot followed a grassy path toward the space pod, his thoughts were interrupted by the frightful sight of three figures – all in white uniforms and brandishing laser rifles – blocking their path and aiming their rifles directly at Dr. Smith and the Robot, looking every bit as though they were ready to fire. The three looked more or less human, but they were exceedingly thin and had what looked like gills on the sides of their necks.

"Aaiiyy!" Dr. Smith exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I come in peace! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

_(Author's note: Up until now, dialogue amongst Neyorans has been translated into English, but as you will recall, the Neyorans do __not__ speak English. From this point forward, dialogue between Earth people and Neyorans will be presented as it actually happens. When Neyorans are talking to each other, I will translate it into English in italics.)_

The three Neyorans studied Dr. Smith carefully. They'd been encouraged to shoot, not to take prisoners, but Dr. Smith seemed to be trying to tell them something – and they weren't sure what to make of the Robot.

"Can we discuss this?" Dr. Smith asked. "I am not an enemy. I am a friend."

The Neyoran known as Bacci addressed his two colleagues, Yvera and Foc, without taking his eyes off Dr. Smith.

"_What do you make of him?"_ Bacci said.

"_I think he's scared to death,"_ Foc replied.

"_I think he wants to communicate with us," _Yvera said.

"_Should we give him the chance to try?"_ Bacci asked.

"_I don't think we can understand him," _Yvera said. _"Any more than he can understand us."_

"_I say we kill him now,"_ Foc said, aiming his laser rifle at Dr. Smith.

Smith yelped with fear, trying to hide behind the Robot.

"_Timid one, isn't he?"_ Bacci said. _"Hold your fire."_

Bacci approached Dr. Smith and the Robot, saying something neither could understand.

"What did he say?" Smith asked the Robot.

"Insufficient data," the Robot said. "I am not familiar with this language."

"_Is he talking to the mechanical unit?" _Foc asked.

"_Looks like it to me,"_ Bacci said. _"I don't like the looks of this."_

Bacci raised his rifle to shoot, but Dr. Smith waved his arms maniacally, asking Bacci to hold his fire. Dr. Smith looked around on the ground and noticed a spot of clean dust. He motioned the three Neyorans to follow him. Apprehensively, with weapons drawn, they did.

Dr. Smith got down on his knees and began to draw in the dust. He drew a stick figure, pointed to it, then pointed to himself. He looked at Bacci. Bacci pointed to the stick figure, then pointed to Dr. Smith, seeming to understand that Smith meant the stick figure to represent himself.

"Good, good!" Dr. Smith said. "Very good!"

Dr. Smith then drew six more stick figures and a small craft, then pointed eastward along the path. He then motioned toward himself, then the Neyorans, then made a motion that seemed to include all of them. Smith waited for his captors to do something.

"_I think he's trying to tell us there are others, and he's offering to lead us to them," _Bacci said.

"_In exchange for what?"_ Yvera asked.

"_Presumably his life,"_ Bacci said. Walking over to the drawing, Bacci repeated the motion that indicated Dr. Smith would lead the Neyorans to the others. Smith nodded. Then Bacci approached the drawing. Pointing to himself and his two colleagues, he aimed his rifle at the drawings of the six others, using the end of the rifle to rub them out. Then, turning to Dr. Smith's drawing of himself, he put the rifle near it, then lifted it without rubbing out the drawing – as if to indicate that Smith would not be harmed.

"I believe you understand," Smith told Bacci. "We have a deal, then?"

Bacci motioned for Smith to wait, and pulled out his radio.

"_Tcialiando, this is Bacci," _he said._ "One of the Earth people has landed, along with a mechanical unit of some sort, and we've captured him."_

"_Kill him," _Tcialiando insisted.

"_He seems to be trying to tell us there are others, and he will take us to them," _Bacci said. _"But it could be an ambush. How are we supposed to know?"_

Tcialiando pounded a fist on the radio platform. Everyone had seen the earth ship explode upon impact by the missile. They were _still_ alive?

"_We need to try to take these people out,"_ Tcialiando said. _"But we don't dare try it without a massive force. Not after what they've already done to us. Wait for my order, and then allow the Earth man to lead you to the others. Be very careful dealing with him."_

"_I will," _Bacci said. _"It's kind of funny because he doesn't seem dangerous at all. He seems scared out of his wits to be honest with you."_

"_That could be a deception," _Tcialiando said. _"I repeat, be extremely careful dealing with him."_

"_I will," _Bacci said. He turned to Dr. Smith, pointed his laser rifle at him and motioned for him to wait.

* * *

Don and Judy were exploring the forest for natural resources the group could use to build some sort of shelter. The objective was to get a temporary structure up as quickly as possible that could at least shield them from rain, then try to fashion some tools from unneeded parts of the space pod and start building a permanent shelter.

"Don," Judy said, "I'm so excited to be here. But I'm scared, too. Who do you think these people are who keep attacking us?"

"I don't know," Don said. "They could be from this planet, although it shows no signs at all of being inhabited. Maybe we've just landed in an undeveloped spot, but I don't see anything here to suggest there's the technology to produce those kinds of spacecraft and those kinds of weapons. Maybe they're from another planet, like we are, and they want to colonize Alpha Prime too."

Judy studied a tall tree. She picked at its bark. The wood seemed strong and showed every sign of making for an excellent building material.

"I think we could build a house out of this," she said. "Maybe not one that could withstand a missile, but I think it could keep us warm and keep the rain off us."

"So is this where we start to talk about building a home together?" Don asked.

Judy smiled. "You, me, my parents and Will and Penny," she said, taking Don's hands in hers and then putting her arms around him and embracing him tightly.

"Judy," Don started, not sure what to say next.

"Don," she said, "when you volunteered to stay with the Jupiter 2, I felt like my whole life was coming to an end. She removed her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "I feel terrible about Dr. Smith, but I can't lie. I'm so relieved it wasn't you."

She looked into his eyes, and he into hers. Amazing as it seemed, they had never kissed. It had always seemed wrong while the fate of their journey remained so unknown. But now, finally having arrived on Alpha Prime, all the reasons to refrain no longer seemed to apply.

He gazed at her. His fingers gently massaged the small of her back while she ran hers gently back and forth across the back of his neck. He began to move his lips toward hers, and she reciprocated.

Before they met, however, he spotted something in his peripheral vision.

"What's that?" he suddenly asked, releasing his hold on Judy and running past her.

"What's _what?"_ Judy said in exasperated tone as she ran as fast as she could to catch up to him.

Don ran about 50 yards to a clearing where he knelt before a piece of charred debris. He put his hand on it. It was still slightly warm to the touch. He turned it over.

"Do you know what this is?" he looked up and asked Judy.

"No," she said.

"It's a piece of the guidance control system from the Jupiter 2," Don said. "It's been burnt to a crisp."

Don stood up and looked around the clearing. So did Judy. Slowly, they began spotting other pieces of charred debris. A piece of the ship's thrusters, which Don had spent 10 days retrofitting for the journey to Alpha Centauri. A piece of a freezing tube. An expanding door from someone's quarters. There was no doubt now. That explosion _was_ the Jupiter 2, and it was lost.

"We need to tell Dad," Judy said.

"You're right," Don said. "We'd better go do that. Uh, I hope we can continue our other conversation soon."

Judy squeezed his hand. "Me too," she said.

They ran through the clearing, out of the forest and toward the space pod where they others were keeping camp.

"John!" Don yelled. "We found debris from the Jupiter 2! John!"

He spotted John, but John said nothing. He was simply looking into the sky. So were Will, Penny and Maureen. Don and Judy stopped in their tracks and looked up. Five ships – just like the ones they had encountered on the other planet and on their journey to Alpha Prime – hovered above them.

"When did they get here?" Don asked.

"Just a few moments ago," John said. "They just seem to be in a holding pattern."

The quiet was broken by the sound of rustling coming through the forest. The Jupiter crew looked up to see the most unexpected of sights – Dr. Zachary Smith and the Robot leading three armed, thin, strange looking figures. Smith pointed to his erstwhile companions.

"There they are!" Smith told the Neyorans, who immediately pointed their laser rifles at the Robinsons and Don.

"Smith!" Don called out. "What the hell is this?"

"Survival, Major," Smith replied.

"What happened to Mr. Noble Sacrifice?" Don wondered.

"I think I've put myself at risk for the sake of you others more than enough to compensate for any past transgressions," Smith said. "It's a new world, and it's every man for himself."

"Dr. Smith, how could you?" Will cried out. "How _could_ you?"

Smith said nothing. The five hovering ships descended to just above the ground and opened their side hatches. Aliens appeared and pointed their rifles at the Earthlings, giving cover to Bacci, Yvera and Foc who moved in to capture them.

"Dr. Smith," Will called out, "you will _never_ redeem yourself from this. Never!"

Smith offered no reply. He merely watched as his longtime companions became the aliens' prisoners.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I am leading by two points among likely voters.

**Chapter 13**

_The White House, Washington D.C._

The secretary of defense sat on the couch in the Oval Office across from the president. While the nation's attention was on the confused aftermath of the presidential election just conducted, the Pentagon had word from the U.S. Space Corps that had the potential to wipe even _that_ from the front pages.

"Mr. President," said the secretary, "I've received a very sensitive piece of information, and it may not be possible to keep it quiet for long."

"I'm listening," the president said.

"Alpha Control received a communication yesterday from the Jupiter 2," the secretary explained. "Contrary to what we thought, the ship was not destroyed upon takeoff and the occupants were not killed."

The president was stunned.

"Damn," he said. "What the hell happened to them?"

"They were thrown off course and spent the past three years lost in space," the secretary continued. "But there's more. Somehow they report they've found their way to Alpha Centauri – that's right, two years early – and landed on Alpha Prime."

"Well this is great news," the president said. "Why would we want to keep this from the public?"

"Because there's more," the secretary said. "They tell us they've encountered hostile resistance from aliens, both during their final journey to Alpha Centauri and on their landing approach to Alpha Prime."

The president shuffled in his seat.

"Mr. Secretary," he said, "did you say hostile resistance from aliens?"

"I did, sir," the secretary said.

"Damn!" said the president as he stood up and began to pace the room a bit. "How sure are we that this is accurate? Can I talk to them?"

"That's part of the problem, sir," the secretary said. "We lost contact with them just before they were preparing to land. In fact, Major West reported that they'd had to abandon the Jupiter 2 for the space pod, and shortly after they did, they heard an explosion that they believe may have been the Jupiter 2 exploding from some sort of hostile attack."

"Holy shit," the president said. "That would mean they're vulnerable to an attack from aliens right now on the surface of the planet, and they don't even have their spaceship?"

"I know, Mr. President," the secretary said. "It's hard to know what to tell the public. And there's one more thing."

The president threw up his arms as if to say, _What now?_

"During their last transmission to us, Major West told Colonel Greenway that Dr. Zachary Smith had been traveling with them the entire three years," the secretary explained.

The president walked over to the front of his desk, sat on the edge and put his hand to his forehead. Rubbing his face a few times, he tried to make sense of what he was being told.

"OK," the president said, "so you're telling me that our space family is alive, and they've reached their destination, and the saboteur we've been pursuing for the past three years has been with _them _the whole time? Oh, and not only that, but we've confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life?"

"That about covers it, sir," the secretary said. "Plus the fact that now we can't seem to reach them."

"Well you're damn right we don't tell the public about this," the president said. "At least not until we can figure out what the hell is going on. Now you said something about maybe we can't keep this quiet. Why's that?"

"Well, sir," the secretary said. "When the Jupiter 2 first made contact, Colonel Greenway patched Major West through to his parents in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It was understandable at the time, but now it could present a problem if we want to control the timing of a public information release."

"Do the Wests know about the problems that have occurred since they talked to their son?" the president asked.

"I don't believe so," the secretary said.

"Then someone needs to get to them," the president said. "If this goes public now, people may go into a panic, and the press will go nuts with questions we can't answer."

"I'll speak with them, sir," the secretary said. "Oh, one other thing. Do you want to brief the incoming president on the situation?"

The president laughed.

"Sure," he said, "as soon as you can tell me who the hell _that's_ going to be."

"Right," said the secretary, "hanging chads."

"Butterfly ballots, my big fat ass," the president said. "Keep me informed about this."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The Robinsons and Major West, under the orders of laser-rifle-armed aliens, marched to the entrance of one of the five alien ships. Although the Earthlings and the Neyorans had no common language, it was clear enough from the motions of their Neyoran captors that they were being ordered to board the alien ship.

As Judy climbed aboard the alien ship, she looked behind her to see Dr. Smith and the Robot boarding a different alien ship. As they did, three other crafts hovered around them, ensuring that none of their Earthling prisoners would make trouble this time.

Unlike the last time they faced each other. The time when Judy and Dr. Smith – acting as a team like never before – had taken out an entire platoon of aliens, plus their ship, thanks to her quick thinking and his improbably courageous, mad dash across the terrain. To see Dr. Smith now acting in league with these same alien adversaries, after seemingly having achieved a long-awaited measure of redemption, was breaking Judy's heart.

She had stuck up for him. More than once, she had chastised Don for judging him and seeking retribution against him. She had felt vindicated by his actions to help defeat their erstwhile attackers. Now this. A betrayal in some ways more egregious than his initial attempt at sabotage, because it came at such a critical time, and just when the Robinsons were finally starting to think he had found a semblance of nobility. It was more than Judy could bear to think about.

Of course, she and the others had bigger problems. Once they were aboard the ship, the aliens closed the hatch and began to hover above the ground. Judy was struck by the humidity aboard the craft. The outside air on Alpha Prime was the cleanest and easiest to breathe she had ever experienced in her life. But the artificial atmosphere on this ship was unbearably moist. She wondered what their home planet's atmosphere might be like, and thought to herself, "Maybe that's why they have those gills."

Fruitless though it seemed to be, John thought he should try to make some sort of communication with their captors. He approached the alien who seemed like he might be in charge – at least here in the field.

"John Robinson," he said, pointing to himself. "John Robinson from planet Earth. Leader. I am the leader."

The lead captor pointed his laser rifle at the prisoners and, along with his two colleagues, ordered them to a backroom. They entered the room and were locked in under guard. All sighed deeply, and tried to get comfortable in the thick humidity.

"I can't believe Dr. Smith would do this," Penny said.

"I can," Will said. "Dr. Smith is incapable of being anything but evil."

* * *

Bacci prompted Dr. Smith to sit down inside the main cabin of the Neyoran ship. The Robot stood alongside him. Although Bacci did not hold Dr. Smith and the Robot at gunpoint, he kept a close and apparently suspicious eye on them. He wasn't sure how Nickas would react to the news that the Earthlings had been captured rather than killed. But the Neyorans couldn't be sure how many of them there were, and it seemed worth the effort to try to learn what they could from them. The apparent turncoat and his mechanical unit had provided reliable information thus far. Maybe the others could provide more.

Dr. Smith carefully watched the pilot of the craft as he lifted it above the ground and prepared to take off. Foc took a seat next to the pilot. Bacci and Yvera stood a few feet behind them. As the ship hovered above the ground, Foc noticed something.

"_We need to deal with that!"_ he shouted.

Bacci and Yvera, thinking something was wrong aboard the ship, quickly opened secret compartments on either side wall and pulled out laser rifles.

"_What is it?"_ Bacci asked.

"_I'm sorry,"_ Foc said. _"It's nothing aboard the ship. Their small spacecraft. We can't just leave it here. For all we know, it could be a threat to us."_

As they talked, Dr. Smith struggled helplessly to make out some sort of linguistic pattern that would give him a hint what they were saying. He had no success.

"_Destroy it,"_ Bacci ordered.

"_Agreed,"_ Foc said, reaching to his right on the control panel while the pilot turned the ship to aim at the Robinsons' space pod.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Dr. Smith quietly asked the Robot.

"I have been attempting to discern patterns in their speech," the Robot said. "I am detecting a limited number of principles from their language, but I have only had the chance to hear a little."

"Well, keep trying," Dr. Smith said.

"Dr. Smith, your betrayal of the Robinsons and Major West was exceedingly disappointing," the Robot said.

"Silence, you ingrate," Smith said. "Any one of them would have done the same."

"That is your opinion, Dr. Smith," the Robot said. "I do not share it."

"As you wish," Smith said. His attention was turning back to the actions of the aliens as they operated their spaceship. As Bacci and Yvera stood behind him, now having lowered their weapons, Foc pressed a control in front of him to the right and Dr. Smith heard a missile firing from the ship's lower starboard side. He stood to see it fly toward its target – the space pod – and destroy it instantly upon impact, triggering a loud explosion whose power reverberated all the way up to the hovering spacecraft.

Dr. Smith sat back down, now beginning to sweat profusely.

"They've destroyed the space pod," he said quietly.

"What makes you think we won't be next, Dr. Smith?" the Robot replied.

"We _have_ an agreement," Smith insisted.

At that, the spacecraft accelerated dramatically and began flying at incredible speeds across the Alpha Prime sky. Dr. Smith could see the surface rushing underneath the craft as he looked out the front window. He was not a prisoner, not technically anyway, but he knew his alien counterparts weren't quite sure what to make of him, and could hardly be expected to trust him entirely.

As the pilot flew the ship, Dr. Smith watched with great interest to see how the controls operated. He wasn't sure he would ever need or be able to use the information, but it seemed worth having, just in case.

It seemed like only minutes before the ship slowed to a hovering position and descended for a landing. As it did, Dr. Smith noticed that it was surrounded by seven other ships. Upon landing, Bacci opened the hatch, put down the ramp and motioned for Dr. Smith and the Robot to exit. Outside the ship, and instantly relieved to once again be breathing the clean, dry Alpha Prime atmosphere, Dr. Smith and the Robot were escorted to a nearby clearing where the Robinsons and Major West, under guard, were also waiting.

"Well if it isn't our good friend Dr. Smith," Don said. "Is this where you told them they'd find the best spot to execute us?"

Dr. Smith stared back at Don but said nothing.

Tcialiando, following closely behind Bacci, entered the clearing and got his first up-close look at the Earth people.

"_Do they understand us at all?"_ Tcialiando asked Bacci.

"_It does not appear that they do," _Bacci said.

Tcialiando took the measure of them. They were standing in a line, all six of them. Dr. Smith and the Robot stood opposite them. Tcialiando stood in front of Maureen, then moved to John, then to each of the others. Then he returned to stand next to Bacci and motioned toward John.

"_It appears to me that he is the leader,"_ Tcialiando said.

"_I believe he is,"_ Bacci said. _"The others clearly look to him for direction."_

"_How do you propose that we find out anything from them?"_ Tcialiando said. _"We can't communicate with them in the slightest."_

"_We were able to communicate with the traitorous one by drawing pictures," _Bacci said.

Tcialiando raised his eyebrow as if to say, _Are you serious? _As he did, his radio sounded.

"_Tcialiando! This is Nickas. Come in!"_

Tcialiando put the radio to his lips.

"_This is Tcialiando," _he said. _"Go ahead, Nickas."_

"_Do I understand correctly that you have captured seven Earthlings?"_ he asked impatiently.

"_We have captured six with the help of a seventh and a mechanical unit of some sort who is with him," _Tcialiando explained.

"_Why were they not all simply killed?"_ Nickas demanded.

"_Nickas," _Tcialiando said. _"We were concerned that there might be others. We hoped we might be able to get some information out of them."_

"_Have you?"_ Nickas asked.

"_No," _Tcialiando said. _"The language barrier is simply too great. Do you want to try to talk to them before we execute them?"_

"_Yes,"_ Nickas said. _"Bring them here. But what are your intentions with respect to the Earthling who turned coat and helped us?"_

"_Well,"_ Tcialiando said. _"He had an understanding with Bacci that his life would be spared if he helped him find the others. Do you want Bacci to break the agreement?"_

"_Bring all of them to me," _Nickas said. _"And I will decide what to do."_

Tcialiando ended the transmission and ordered the prisoners to walk out of the clearing and through the woods. From there it would only be a few hundred feet before the reached the rest of the ships. Will Robinson noticed as they walked through the forest that the guards were not watching the group very carefully. Quietly he tugged at Penny's arm. She made eye contact with him, but neither said a word. He motioned with his head for her to leave the group and quietly duck down behind some brush. He hoped that, because they were the shortest members of the group, the guards wouldn't notice their absence until it was too late to find them.

Will and Penny crouched down below the brush and watched their parents, their sister and their friend continue to walk toward the spacecraft.

"What are you planning to do?" Penny asked.

"I don't have a plan," Will said. "But if we can come up with one quickly enough, at least the element of surprise is in our favor."

John, Maureen, Don and Judy followed their captors out of the woods and to another clearing where the rest of the ships sat on the ground. Will and Penny followed at a safe distance. Once they reached the clearing, Tcialiando motioned for Dr. Smith and the Robot to stand to the side while Bacci, Foc and Yvera escorted the others into one of the ships. Dr. Smith understood from his mannerisms that he was to stay where he was and wait. He nodded to indicate that he understood, although he had no idea if these aliens would take a nod to mean what he intended it to mean.

Tcialiando entered the ship behind the one the others had entered, and Dr. Smith sat against a tree at the base of the woods to wait.

Will and Penny saw their parents, Don and Judy go into the one ship while Tcialiando said something to Dr. Smith and then entered the one behind it. Will saw Dr. Smith sit down and lean against the tree.

"I want to go talk to him," Will said.

"Don't you see those two guards right there?" Penny asked. "Good luck getting past them."

"I'm not thinking about getting past them," Will said. "I'm thinking about taking them out."

"Out?" Penny inquired.

"Out as in dead," Will said.

"You're going to try to kill them?" Penny asked in a somewhat stunned tone of voice.

"Not me," Will said. "Both of us."

"With _what?_" Penny demanded.

"Our bare hands," Will said. "Dad taught me how to do this if I ever needed to. You brace their body and snap their neck. You have to do it quickly."

"Are you _insane?_" Penny asked. "What do you think they'll do to us if we kill their guards?"

"What do you think they're _going_ to do to us, Penny?" Will said. "We've already killed five ships' worth of them, one on the other planet and four when they were trying to blow us away with missiles out in space. What do you think they were trying to do when they blew up the Jupiter? I'm not sure why we're still alive now, but I don't think we will be very long. We need to find out what Dr. Smith is planning and what he knows."

"Why would he tell you?" Penny asked.

"Because I'll kill him if he doesn't," Will said.

"What's gotten into you?" Penny demanded. "Do you think you're some sort of commando Ted Bundy or something? Let's just kill everybody."

"I'm trying to give us a chance to survive," Will insisted. "We can't do that if we can't find out what's happening, and that starts by taking out those two guards. Now are you going to do this with me or are we going to let Mom, Dad, Judy and Don die in there?"

Penny started shaking a little. Will could see that she was scared. He wanted to find a way to both calm her down and light a fire under her.

"Pen, look," Will said, "we've come all this way to Alpha Centauri. We've finally made it. I didn't come here just to get killed by a bunch of asshole aliens, OK? We owe it to everyone else to try our best to prevail here."

He looked into her eyes. They still betrayed her fear, but they started to take on a determined, steely quality as well.

"OK," she said. "How do I kill him?"

* * *

John, Maureen, Judy and Don entered the Neyoran ship behind their captors. Bacci motioned for them to wait. Once inside, Maureen began looking around frantically.

"Where are Will and Penny?" she asked nervously. "John, Will and Penny aren't here! Somehow you need to find out from them if they've done something to them."

John began to approach Bacci, then stopped and turned back.

"No," he said.

"What do you mean, no?" Maureen demanded. "John Robinson, you go up to that man and do whatever you have to do to find out what's happened to our children!"

"Darling," John said quietly. "Will and Penny might have slipped off on their own. If they did, we don't want to call their attention to the fact that they're missing."

"_What are they talking about?"_ Foc asked Bacci.

"_Do you think I have any idea?" _Bacci replied.

"_Where are their children?" _Foc asked. _"The two small ones. Did you send them to the other ship?"_

"_No,"_ Bacci replied, suddenly realizing that Will and Penny were not present. _"I didn't send them anywhere."_

Bacci looked out the window to see if he could spot them, but he saw nothing. He approached John, trying to explain himself by using his hand at about torso height to indicate he was talking about a smaller person. With his eyes, he tried to ask John where his children were.

"I'm sorry," John said. "I'm afraid I can't understand what you're trying to say."

Bacci threw up his hands and went back to the front to talk to Foc.

"_They must have eluded us," _he said. _"Nickas is going to have a fit that we didn't just kill all of them right away. And he's going to blame me for it."_

"_Speaking of Nickas, what's going on?" _Foc said. _"Where is he?"_

"_He wanted to talk to Tcialiando in the other ship, without the Earth man and his mechanical unit present, before talking to the prisoners,"_ Bacci said.

John pulled Maureen, Don and Judy close together and spoke softly.

"They don't know where Will and Penny are," John said. "That means they got away on their own."

"They could be in danger," Maureen said.

"Or they could be our best chance," Judy said.

"What could they do?" Don wondered.

"I wouldn't underestimate Will and Penny," Judy said.

"That's true," Don said. "I can remember a time when people might have underestimated you."

"You, Don?" Judy asked.

"Certainly not," he said. "Other people!"

"We'd better all keep a lid on it for now," John said.

The conversation came to a pause.

* * *

"_What possible reason could you have had for not killing these people the moment you saw them?" _Nickas asked.

"_Bacci felt there was a danger that there might be more of them,"_ Tcialiando explained.

"_Based on what?" _Nickas demanded. _"The word of this one cowardly Earthling and his talking machine?"_

"_Nickas, these people have foiled us at every turn,"_ Tcialiando said. _"Don't you think there could be value in learning more about them before we kill them? What if Earth sends more people here? What do we know about how to fight them? We have them under our control now. They have no weapons. They have no spacecraft. They can't leave and they can't fight. Let's try to find out something about them while we have the chance. Then we'll kill them."_

Nickas sighed.

"_Where are they being held right now?" _Nickas asked.

"_In the next ship over,"_ Tcialiando said. _"Do you want them brought here?"_

"_No," _Nickas said. _"Moving them around a lot is dangerous. I'll go there and talk to them. When I'm done, have them killed."_

"_Fine,"_ Tcialiando said. _"What about the one who's helping us? Do you want him killed too?"_

"_Not right away,"_ Nickas said. _"Let's see how useful he can be to us. If he proves to have no value, we can always kill him."_

* * *

The two Neyoran guards stood about 30 feet apart at the edge of the clearing. The row of Neyoran spacecraft stood about 150 feet in front of them.

Will and Penny hid behind trees near each guard. Penny tried to remember what Will had told her about how to kill the guard, especially the part about having no hesitation. If the guard had even a second to realize what was going on, his instincts would kick in and he would start fighting back. He had a laser rifle. Penny had nothing. There was no doubt what the outcome of that fight would be.

So it was kill or be killed, and the killing had to be instant and simultaneous to Will's.

From behind the trees, Will looked over at Penny. They had worked out two signals. A wave of his right hand would ask if Penny was ready. She would nod or shake her head. If she nodded, he would count down with his fingers from five, and it would be go time.

Will waved his hand. Penny breathed deep. Will waited. Penny looked back at him – and nodded. Will put up five fingers. Penny's heartbeat accelerated dramatically. Four, three, two, one . . . and the go sign.

Penny walked up behind the guard, used her body to brace his and grabbed his head with both hands, quickly and violently jerking it to the left. The guard fell to the ground. Penny looked over to her left and saw that Will had similarly taken down his guard. They quickly dragged the bodies into the woods and behind the brush, then took their weapons and met up in the middle.

"You did it, Penny!" Will said. "Great job."

"I wish I could feel more like celebrating," Penny said. "I just killed a man."

"A man who might have orders to kill our family for all we know," Will said.

"I know, you're right," she said. "So what do we do now?"

"I need to get to Dr. Smith," Will said. "He's right over there. Stay a little ways behind me, and stay hidden in the brush. If anyone starts coming toward us, call out to me so only I can hear you. If you have to, use the rifle to keep them off me."

Penny studied the laser rifle to see how it worked. It seemed to be pretty similar to one of their own, with a trigger mechanism and a barrel. She wished she could test it, but she didn't dare.

"OK," Penny said, "I've got you covered. Go to Dr. Smith."

Will, also armed with a laser rifle, moved low behind the brush to the tree where Dr. Smith was sitting, and inched up behind him. Before Will had a chance to emerge, the Robot noticed him, and began to go into the _danger_ motion when he saw that it was Will, who signaled him to be quiet.

Dr. Smith noticed that the Robot had made some sort of motion.

"What is wrong with you, you nattering nabob?" Dr. Smith asked the Robot. As he finished the question, he was horrified to see the end of a laser rifle press against his nose.

"Don't make a sound," Will said. "Get behind the tree now."

"They'll notice I'm gone!" Dr. Smith insisted.

"That's not my problem," Will said. "Now get behind the tree, or I _will_ kill you, right here, right now."

Smith quickly scurried behind the tree.

"I will keep watch, Will Robinson," the Robot said.

"Thanks, Robot," Will said, still holding the laser rifle inches from Dr. Smith's head. "And as for you, Dr. Smith, we have a few things to talk about."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I will survive! I will survive! As long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive!

**Chapter 14**

"William," Dr. Smith pleaded, "is it really necessary for you to point that rifle at me?"

"Yes," Will said.

"I see," Smith replied.

"What's happening with you and the aliens, Dr. Smith?" Will demanded.

"Nothing!" Smith insisted. "Nothing at all, William! I am merely attempting to serve as a useful intermediary between all parties."

Will raised the rifle and put his finger on the trigger.

"Don't you fucking lie to me, Dr. Smith," Will said. "Unless you want _that_ to be the last thing you ever do."

Dr. Smith shifted uncomfortably. Will had him sitting against a tree just inside the wooded area adjacent the clearing where the Neyoran ships were sitting. He wasn't sure how much time he would have before the aliens would come looking for him, but he didn't think it was very long.

"First of all, how did you even get here?" Will asked. "We thought you and the Robot were going to go down with the Jupiter 2."

"We were, William, I swear we were," Dr. Smith said. "I was prepared to sacrifice myself for everyone. But after you all left in the space pod, the Robot detected an incoming missile and we decided to take our chances with a jet chute. We saw the Jupiter 2 destroyed, William. It was horrible. Horrible."

"OK," Will said. "Then what happened when you got on the ground?"

"Three aliens ambushed us, and I thought they were going to kill us!" Dr. Smith said.

"And why didn't they?" Will asked.

Smith pursed his lips, considering what he should say.

"Don't try to figure out some sort of explanation," Will demanded. "Just tell me what you did, Dr. Smith. _Tell me what you did!"_

"William," Dr. Smith pleaded, clearly growing agitated and very nervous, "I couldn't speak to them. They don't speak our language. I tried using hand signals to plead with them for my life, but they couldn't understand anything I was saying! So I drew pictures on the ground."

"Pictures of what?" Will asked.

Dr. Smith bowed his head. Will fiddled with the laser rifle.

"Pictures of all of you," Dr. Smith confessed.

"So you promised to help them capture us if they wouldn't kill you," Will said.

"I had to do something," Smith said. "They would have found you eventually anyway. This way at least they trust one of us. Maybe it gives us a chance to get close to them and find a way to escape from them!"

"So this is really all just a ruse on your part to save us, Dr. Smith?" Will asked.

Smith looked at Will hopefully.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Will asked. "For all you knew, they would kill us all as soon as they found us. Who knows why they didn't?"

"William!" Dr. Smith pleaded. "Please believe me, I wish no harm to come to your or your family!"

"And yet it seems that every time we're in harm's way, you're the reason for it," Will said. "Why is that, Dr. Smith? How can you explain that?"

Dr. Smith began to shudder a little and put his face in his hands.

"What are they planning to do, Dr. Smith?" Will demanded.

"I don't know," he said.

Will raised straightened the rifle again.

"William, please!" Smith pleaded. "I can't understand their language any better than you can! There seems to be a leader we haven't seen yet. I think he's in that ship over there, behind the one holding your parents, Judy and Major West."

"Are they from this planet?" Will asked.

"I don't know," Dr. Smith said. "I don't think so. Judging from the spaceships and no sign of any other development, I think they came from somewhere else the same as we did."

"Why are they hostile to us?" Will asked.

"I don't know!" Dr. Smith insisted. "I keep telling you I can't understand them!"

"You managed to make a deal with them, didn't you?" Will said.

"I know," Smith said. "I know I did."

Will sat down opposite Dr. Smith, the laser rifle still at the ready.

"What is it with you?" Will asked.

"I don't understand what you mean," Dr. Smith said.

"Just look at the things you do," Will said. "Look at your behavior. First you try to sabotage us, then you become our friend – because you had no choice, I suppose – but the whole time you've just sort of got your own little agenda. Even so, I thought you and I had a great relationship."

"We did!" Dr. Smith agreed. "You've been a dear, dear friend to me."

"Sure, until the loyalty that comes with friendship isn't convenient for you anymore," Will said. "Then you have this big burst of nobility where you risk your life, not once but twice, to save us from these aliens, and we all think you've redeemed yourself. But as soon as you figure out a way to survive, you give in to the first temptation to betray us again."

Dr. Smith rubbed his face with his hand. He looked at Will through his fingers. His eyes betrayed his shame, and his realization of the truth of his character.

"You know what I think, Dr. Smith?" Will said. "I think your head must be a scary place to be. Because every day I think you're battling with yourself to try to figure out if you want to be a good person or a selfish bastard. I think you'd love to exempt yourself from every moral limit the rest of us have to abide by. But every time you try it, you get busted and you realize that people are disappointed in you, and then you can't stand the disdain, so you try to redeem yourself."

"You're right, William," Smith said softly.

"How many times have you announced to us that you were going to be a new Zachary Smith?" Will asked. "I can't even count how many times. And you know what?"

"What?" Dr. Smith said.

"You never needed to do that," Will said. "Not even once. We all accepted you. Heck, I think we all kind of liked you even. We accepted you as one of us. I think deep down, even Don did."

"_Really!"_ Smith intoned.

"He did, Dr. Smith," Will said. "I remember him saying one time that with all your faults, he wouldn't have you any other way. And Dad agreed."

"That couldn't have happened," Dr. Smith said.

"It _did_ happen," Will affirmed. "And you know why? Because a so-called new Zachary Smith wouldn't be the real you. The one thing you needed to do, that you were never willing to do, was just be honest. Be honest about your faults. We all have them. Most of us just admit it and do our best to rise above them. But you, Dr. Smith, you were always so afraid to have anyone see your flaws, so you put on this big act all the time. And it wasn't fooling _anyone._ Not a single one of us."

"Oh, William," Dr. Smith said. "What am I going to do?"

"Yes," Will replied. "What _are_ you going to do? These aliens are expecting you to help them kill us. Now what do you know about what they're planning?"

"I told you, I don't know anything!" Dr. Smith said. "The only thing I'm fairly sure about is that the one I think is the leader is in that ship right now!"

He pointed to the ship in which Nickas and Tcialiando were talking. Will gazed at the ship, trying to decide what to do next. As he did, the hatch began to open and the ramp began to come down.

"They're coming out!" Will said. "Now get back to the other side of the tree where they're expecting you to be. And don't try anything."

"I won't, William!" Smith insisted. "I won't! Friends?"

"Dr. Smith, get around to the other side of the tree now!" Will demanded. Smith did so, followed by the Robot.

About 30 feet from the trees, Smith came face to face with Nickas.

Turning to Tcialiando, Nickas said, _"Is this the Earthling who made the deal with Bacci?"_

"_It is," _Tcialiando said.

Nickas approached Dr. Smith and looked him in the eye. He was about four inches shorter than Dr. Smith, and like the other Neyorans, very thin. But the look in his eyes was menacing. Although Dr. Smith couldn't understand his words, Nickas began to speak anyway.

"_Do you have any idea how much death and destruction you and your companions have caused my people?" _Nickas said. _"Nearly 30 of our people are dead because of you!"_

Dr. Smith could not understand the words, but he detected Nickas's angry tone.

"Whatever is troubling you, sir, I am sure we can find a solution," Dr. Smith said.

"_And what of this contraption?"_ Nickas asked, motioning toward the Robot. _"Is this some sort of slave? Does he help you in your murderous actions? Is Earth full of automated units like this who help you pollute your planet and make it such a dangerous place?"_

"He is our Robot," Dr. Smith said. "He, like me, is happy to be a friend to you."

Dr. Smith extended his hand to Nickas, who stared at it, unsure what to make of the gesture.

"Do you do this on your planet?" Dr. Smith asked. "Do you shake hands? Here, let me show you."

Dr. Smith extended his hand toward the Robot. Nickas quickly grabbed Dr. Smith's hand as if to stop him from trying something sneaky.

"It's OK," Dr. Smith said calmingly. "Just watch."

The Robot took Dr. Smith's hand with his claw and shook it.

"See?" Dr. Smith said. "Friends. Now you and I can be friends."

He extended his hand again to Nickas, who studied it for a moment.

"Friends," Dr. Smith said.

Nickas finally broke down and took Dr. Smith's hand in his, and shook it somewhat awkwardly.

"Friends," Nickas repeated as accurately as he could.

"Yes we are," Dr. Smith said. "My name is Dr. Zachary Smith." He pointed to himself and repeated, "Zachary Smith. That is my name. My _name._ And _your_ name?"

Dr. Smith motioned with an open hand toward Nickas, who tried to figure out what was happening.

"_What do you think he means?" _Nickas asked Tcialiando.

"_I think Zachary Smith is his name," _Tcialiando said. _"And he wants to know yours."_

"_Why do I want to tell him?"_ Nickas asked.

"_I don't know that you do," _Tcialiando said. _"He seems to want to be friendly. At least he wants to appear that way."_

"_We don't have time for this,"_ Nickas said. Turning to Dr. Smith, he motioned with his arm for Dr. Smith and the Robot to follow him to the ship where John, Maureen, Don and Judy were waiting.

Nickas, Tcialiando, Dr. Smith and the Robot ascended the ramp and entered the ship. The others were waiting, sweat pouring off their faces. Tcialiando approached John and pointed to him, then turned to Nickas and said, _"We believe that this one is their leader."_

Nickas approached John.

"_I am Nickas, from the planet Neyora,"_ he said.

Although he couldn't understand Nickas's words, John gathered that he had been identified as the leader, so he followed protocol in introducing himself as such.

"I am John Robinson of the Earth ship, Jupiter 2," John said. "Unfortunately, I cannot understand your language, and I doubt you can understand mine."

"I can translate their language," the Robot interrupted.

"You _can?_" Don asked.

"Affirmative," the Robot said. "I have been listening to their speech and have detected patterns and linguistic principles. I cannot do so perfectly, but I believe I can provide enough translation to allow you to communicate with them."

"Tell them who we are, and that we come in peace and we mean them no harm," John said.

In Neyoran, the Robot explained to Nickas, Tcialiando and the other officers aboard the ship, _"We are travelers from the planet Earth. We come in peace and mean you no harm. We came here on a mission to colonize this planet because our own planet is suffering from overpopulation and a depletion of resources."_

Nickas and the other Neyorans were stunned to hear the Robot from Earth suddenly speaking in their language.

"_How is it that you can speak our language?"_ Nickas asked. _"What kind of creature are you?"_

"_I am a B-9 environmental control robot," _he said. _"I am programmed to gather and analyze data, which is what I have been doing with your language as I have listened to you speak."_

"Robot," John said, "ask them why they attacked us on the previous planet, and why they attacked us in space."

The Robot did so.

"_We detected navigation signals coming from your planet," _Nickas said, the Robot translating. _"We knew of your plans to come here. We have been planning a colonization of Alpha Prime for some time now. Our planet is Neyora of the Lalonde 21185 star system. It too is overpopulated, and overrun by an environmentally insensitive, industrial culture that is rapidly depleting our food supply. We could not risk your intrusion onto the planet for which we have such noble plans."_

"We have no intention of doing anything to harm you or your lifestyle," John said. "We are entirely peaceful. We would be happy to share this planet with you."

"_Share the planet in the same way you people live on Earth?" _Nickas said. _"And after you have already killed so many of our people?"_

"We didn't take any action except in self-defense," John said. "It has never been our objective to harm any of your people. Now what are your intentions? And what is your arrangement with Dr. Smith?"

Dr. Smith, standing toward the back, began tapping nervously against the wall.

"_Dr. Smith has agreed to help us find you and kill you in exchange for his own life," _Nickas said. _"Is this a typical arrangement on your planet?"_

"It is for bastards like him," Don interjected.

"Don, that's enough," John said. "No, it's not typical, but sometimes people pursue their own agendas at the expense of others, and apparently that is what our former friend has chosen to do."

Dr. Smith tapped louder and faster.

"_Well that is your misfortune," _Nickas said. _"Alpha Prime will be the home to Neyorans."_

"I believe we could negotiate a treaty that would allow us to share this planet according to terms that are agreeable to both sides," John said. "Or absent that, we would be happy to consider an agreement by which we would leave and return to Earth, although that would require some assistance on your part because you have already destroyed our spaceship. Can I persuade you to consider such an agreement?"

"_You cannot," _Nickas replied, then turned to the officers aboard the ship. _"Kill them after we leave with Dr. Smith and their Robot."_

Dr. Smith tapped louder and louder.

"Would you stop that obnoxious tapping, Smith?" Don yelled.

Smith said nothing. He looked intently into Don's eyes and tapped all the more.

"Dammit, Smith!" Don said, but Smith just kept tapping, and Don stopped yelling and started listening to the tapping. He listened closely.

"_Come!" _Nickas said. _"It's time for us to go."_

The Robot extended his arms and tried to fire his lightning charge at Nickas, but Tcialiando quickly shot him with his laser rifle and the Robot slumped over.

"_Leave that thing here!" _Nickas said. _"Let us go!"_

He hurried Tcialiando and Dr. Smith off the ship and ordered the pilot to close the hatch. As they were leaving, Don sidled up to Judy and said very softly, "What you see me do on the left side of the ship, do on the right."

"What?" Judy began –

"Just watch me and do what I do," Don said. "Get ready."

The hatch securely closed, the two remaining Neyoran officers moved to retrieve their laser rifles. But as they did, Don quickly made for a compartment in the left wall of the ship. Judy, mimicking his movements as he had told her to do, made for a similar compartment on the right side. Each grabbed a laser rifle.

Don quickly aimed his laser rifle at the ship's pilot and blasted him with a laser charge, instantly sending massive voltage through his body and throwing him up against the front windshield, after which he slumped onto the floor.

Similarly, Judy fired her laser rifle at the co-pilot, striking him directly in the face and instantly searing off his skin, leaving only a charred skull where his features had once been. The co-pilot's body fell onto the control panel and likewise slumped to the floor.

Judy followed Don in running to the front of the ship.

"John, Maureen, help us move the bodies out of here!" Don said.

John and Maureen picked up the co-pilot's body and flung it to the middle of the ship. Don and Judy did the same with the pilot's body. Then Don sat down at the controls and motioned for Judy to sit down beside him.

"That button arms the next missile in the cycle," Don told Judy. "That one fires it. Watch as I position us to hit targets and be ready. Everyone brace yourselves."

"Don, what's going on?" John demanded.

"The battle's been joined," Don said.

Don released a lock to engage the ignition and started the engine, then began to accelerate along the ground before quickly gaining altitude.

"OK, now everyone hang on because I'm going to turn us around," Don said.

He violently flung the ship around and began flying at full-speed back toward the clearing where the other Neyoran ships remained on the ground.

"Judy, fire at every ship you have a chance to hit," Don said.

"Don!" John said. "How do you know how to fly this ship and fire the missiles? How did you know where the weapons were?"

"Smith told me," Don said.

"_Smith?"_ John asked incredulously.

"That tapping?" Don recalled. "It was Morse Code. He was telling me everything about how the ship operates, where the weapon stash was hidden and how to operate the missiles."

"Well I'll be damned," John said.

"I guess you have to know a few things to become a colonel," Don said. "Judy, are the missiles armed?"

"The missiles are armed," Judy said.

On the ground, the Neyorans were scurrying at the unexpected development of their spacecraft taking off.

"_What the hell is going on?"_ Tcialiando asked no one in particular. _"No one ordered them to take off!"_

Tcialiando tried to reach the ship on the radio.

"_LV43K, report!"_ Tcialiando ordered. _"Why are you in flight?"_

Don heard the transmission, but had no intention of replying to it.

"Can the Robot translate?" Don asked.

"The Robot's out of commission," Maureen said. "We can probably fix him later but there's no time now."

"I'm close to having a fix on a few of their ships," Judy said.

"Fire at will!" Don ordered.

Judy engaged the missile firing control and launched the first missile. It made a direct hit on one of the seven Neyoran spacecraft remaining on the ground, and blew it to pieces in a huge explosion.

"_They're firing on us!" _Tcialiando exclaimed. _"The Earthlings must be in control of the ship! Battle stations, everyone!"_

Will and Penny, still watching from the woods, observed the Neyorans scurrying in all directions as the wayward ship destroyed the first of its targets on the ground.

"Will!" Penny said. "Mom, Dad, Judy and Don must be in control of that ship!"

"You're right," Will said. As he spoke, missiles destroyed two more Neyoran ships, creating more huge explosions that took out every Neyoran in the general vicinity of the ships. Will watched as Nickas, Tcialiando and Dr. Smith tried to make their way through the blasts to their ship.

"We need to give them cover from the ground," Will said. "Come on!"

Will and Penny moved to the edge of the clearing and began firing at Neyorans as they moved toward their ships. Penny took down a man who was almost ready to board one of the ships. Will took out two women as they made for another. From the air, Judy destroyed another Neyoran ship, leaving only three on the ground.

"I'll have to make another pass," Don said. "Hang on!"

Don flew past the clearing and prepared to turn around and go back.

"Shit!" Will said. "That's going to give them time to regroup. We have to stop them. I'm going to try to stop them from reaching the main ship."

"How?" Penny asked.

"Just cover me," Will said.

With Penny aiming her rifle at anyone in the clearing who might pose a problem for Will, Will began sprinting toward Nickas's ship, hoping to prevent Nickas and Tcialiando from boarding. Two armed Neyorans spotted Will and raised their rifles to take him out, prompting Penny to fire at them, killing them both.

But Penny's laser fire got the attention of Nickas and Tcialiando.

"_Where did that laser fire come from?"_ Nickas demanded.

Their attention roused, Will quickly looked for a place to take cover, but the only place nearby was inside Nickas's ship. With only a second to think, he quickly ran up the ramp and hid inside behind an open wall. Two other Neyorans, seeing Will board Nickas's ship, ran for the ramp to try to stop him, but Penny took them both out. As she did, however, Nickas, Tcialiando and Dr. Smith made their way up the ramp. Penny raised her rifle to fire, but hesitated for fear of hitting Will accidentally. She lost her opportunity as the hatch quickly closed.

"Damn," Penny said. "How will they know not to fire on that ship? I hope you know what you're doing, Will."

Other Neyorans continued rushing toward the two other remaining ships. From her post behind the tree, Penny fired on one who was approaching the ramp of his craft and took him down. Another, however, boarded his ship successfully and closed the hatch. As that happened, Penny saw the airborne ship being flown by Don returning.

"I see three ships still on the ground," Judy said.

"Fire at will!" Don barked.

Judy fired another missile, destroying the ship that had just been successfully boarded.

"Arming another missile," Judy said, then she fired again, destroying the ship that would have been flown by the Neyoran whom Penny had just killed.

"_They're taking out all our ships!" _Nickas raged. _"Take off now!"_

Tcialiando settled in at the controls, accompanied by a co-pilot named Dahlor. He quickly started the engine and began running at a high speed just above the ground. Nickas and Dr. Smith stood in the back, but were thrown to the ground as Tcialiando engaged in maneuvers designed to engage the ship the Earthlings were flying.

On the ground, a small group of Neyoran women and children gathered around their fallen comrades, screaming and crying. Penny, watching the scene from behind the tree, tried to ascertain if they had any weapons. Since it didn't appear that they did, and no more spacecraft remained on the ground, she decided to keep watch behind the tree – and pray that somehow Will would be OK.

"Don!" Judy said. "It appears all spacecraft are destroyed accept the one we just saw take off."

"They're maneuvering for a firefight," Don said. "This is it. Is everyone ready?"

"Do we have any idea what happened to Will and Penny?" Maureen asked.

"None," John said. "All we can do now is try to win this battle and then hope to find them on the ground."

"They have an inherent advantage in that they know the maneuverings of their ships better than we do," Don said. "But it's going to be one missile strike that wins or loses this thing. Hang on."

Don could see Nickas's ship in the distance preparing to turn around.

"I'm going to bore in on him so we can try to get a shot off before he gets in position," Don said. "Judy, are you ready to fire?"

"I'm ready," Judy said.

Aboard Nickas's ship, Will peaked out from behind the open wall to get a look at the ship's position. He could see that it was turning, and as it did, he started to spot Don's ship in the distance coming toward them. Will knew he had to do something quickly. He aimed his laser rifle at Dahlor, the co-pilot, who was at the missile control, and fired. The laser struck Dahlor in the back of the head and threw him against the control panel, and to the floor.

"_What just happened?"_ Tcialiando asked. Nickas and Dr. Smith ran to the co-pilot's seat to see what had happened. As they did, Will ran out from behind the open wall and prepared to fire on Nickas, but Nickas heard the footsteps, turned and lunged at Will, surprising him and throwing him off balance.

The laser rifle slipped from Will's hands and he ended up on the floor, struggling with Nickas. Dr. Smith tried to pull Nickas off Will, but Tcialiando, unable to get up because he had lost his co-pilot, turned and fired his laser rifle in the general vicinity of the crowd on the floor.

"_Everyone stand up!"_ Tcialando ordered.

Although Will and Dr. Smith did not understand the words, they realized they would have to halt, as neither of them was currently in control of a weapon. Nickas grabbed Will by the arm and violently forced him into the co-pilot's seat, fastening him in with his arms secured to his sides.

"_Now you will watch your people die,"_ Nickas said. _"Tcialiando, activate the remote control unit on LV43K."_

Meanwhile, Don continued speeding ahead.

"Just a little further and I can fix on it and fire," Judy said.

Don looked to maintain his course, but even though he didn't touch any of the controls, he suddenly felt the ship slowing down and descending.

"What are you doing, Don?" John demanded.

"I'm not doing anything!" Don said. "It's like the ship has a mind of its own."

Don tried to use the controls to re-accelerate, but they wouldn't respond to him. The ship continued slowing and finally descended in a hovering position to a few feet off the ground.

"The missiles are no longer armed!" Judy said. "I can't arm them!"

Up ahead, they could see Nickas's ship hovering at a higher altitude, waiting.

"We're sitting ducks," John said. "We need to abandon ship and try to make a run for it!"

John made for the hatch and pulled at the lever. It wouldn't budge.

"I can't open it!" John said. "The hatch is locked."

"I think they're controlling the ship remotely," Don said.

"Can you disable their remote control?" John asked.

"Smith didn't tell me anything about how to do that," Don said. "He might not have even known about it."

John and Maureen ran to the front of the ship and peered out the windshield along with Judy and Don. As they looked out in front of them, they saw Nickas's ship begin to come forward, missiles armed.

"We have no way of escaping, do we?" Maureen asked.

"It doesn't appear that we do," John said.

Judy reached out and took Don's hand.

"Don," Judy said. "I love you."

"I love you too, Judy," Don said.

Aboard Nickas's ship, Will was tightly strapped into the co-pilot's seat as Tcialiando sped toward the ship on which Will's family sat helplessly. Dr. Smith and Nickas stood behind them.

"_Nickas, I can't reach the missile launcher,"_ Tcialiando said. _"You will need to fire the missiles."_

Nickas smiled.

"_It will be my pleasure."_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I own lots of receivables. _Lots_ of receivables. They don't take those at the store.

**Chapter 15**

"_How much farther until we have a shot we can't miss?"_ Nickas asked Tcialiando, who sped along about an altitude of about 1,000 feet toward the ship in which John, Maureen, Don and Judy sat helpless – unable to fly, arm their missiles or escape because Nickas and Tcialiando had seized control of their ship remotely.

"_Not much farther at all," _Tcialiando said. _"You can arm the missiles."_

Will, strapped into the co-pilot's seat and unable to move, was struggling mightily to escape, or at least move his arms, so he could make some effort – however fruitless – to stop Nickas and Tcialiando from firing the missile that would kill his parents, his sister and their friend.

"Damn you!" Will screamed. "Damn you to hell!"

As Will struggled, Dr. Smith leaned down to say something into his ear. Will wasn't interested in hearing it.

"Do something to get me out of here, Dr. Smith!" Will insisted.

"I am," Dr. Smith said. "When you stop rising, kick your legs against the bottom of your seat. It will open your chute."

"What?" Will asked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Dr. Smith merely repeated his earlier statement: "Listen carefully and remember. When you stop rising, kick your legs against the bottom of your seat. It will open your chute."

Will just looked at Dr. Smith in a puzzled manner.

"Tis a far, far better thing that I do," Dr. Smith said. "I pray that when all is said and done, you will recall that I was your friend. Good bye, Will Robinson."

At that, Dr. Smith reached under Will's seat and pressed a button. The top hatch flew open and Will and his seat were ejected through the top of the ship. As Will shot up into the Alpha Prime sky, he saw the ship from which he had just been ejected speeding away. More than 1,000 feet in the air, Will's felt his heart leap into his throat as he looked at the landscape below, then remembered Dr. Smith's instructions. As he stopped rising and began to fall toward the ground, he threw his legs forward, then kicked them against the bottom of his seat. Immediately, a chute opened and his hurtling turned to floating.

For a reason Will couldn't quite figure out, Dr. Smith had ejected him from the ship.

Tcialiando sat to Dr. Smith's left, speeding toward the ship containing John, Maureen, Don and Judy. Nickas stood to his right, waiting for the order to fire the missile.

Dr. Smith grabbed Nickas around his waist, picked him up and threw him behind him and to the ship's deck. Then he turned to Tcialiando, and as he did, remembered a maneuver he had learned in basic training – one he had only used once:

_As Dr. Smith made the final adjustments to the Robot's programming, he was stunned by the presence of a security officer, who had come aboard the Jupiter 2 to make a final check._

"_Sorry, colonel, there is no personnel allowed in here after zero minus six hours," the security guard had said._

"_Do you know who I am, soldier?" Dr. Smith asked._

"_Sir, I wouldn't care if you were the president of the USA," the guard insisted. "I'd still have to put you under arrest."_

"_Of course, that's your duty," Smith said. "But just for the record, I came in here to check the helium-nitrogen ratio. I had a sudden feeling I'd turned a valve the wrong way. You know how it is when you get those feelings that won't let you sleep. I had to come back and make sure."_

"_I'm sorry," the guard said, becoming a little less agitated. "I still have to turn you over to the officer on duty."_

"_Don't apologize," Smith said, strolling behind his back, and not for no reason. "You've got your job to do, I've got mine, eh, soldier?"_

_And with that, Smith turned and laid a chop on the soldier's upper back in just the spot to strike a nerve and knock him out cold. It was the beginning of the most nefarious act of his life._

Dr. Smith carefully recalled that moment, and that maneuver. As Nickas tumbled on the floor, Dr. Smith turned to Tcialiando and laid the exact same chop on him, striking him directly in the nerves in his upper back and knocking him out cold.

As Nickas stumbled up from the floor, he saw Dr. Smith grabbing the controls and throwing them violently downward, sending the ship into a drastic dive.

"_What are you doing?"_ Nickas exclaimed.

Dr. Smith stood between Nickas and the controls. The ship continued diving.

"_Noooooooooo!"_ Nickas cried out.

Dr. Smith stood up straight, puffed his chest and declared: "May God have mercy on my soul."

The ship slammed into the ground, exploding into flames and scattering debris hundreds of feet in every direction. Will was still about 100 feet off the ground when he saw the ship crash and explode.

"Dr. Smith!" Will cried out. He struggled furiously to free his arms as the co-pilot seat from the ship he had just seen destroyed floated to the ground. As he hit the ground, Will finally freed his arms and leapt from the chair, running as fast as he could toward the wreckage.

As he sat at the controls of the other remaining ship, Don's face was awash in shock as he watched Nickas's ship crash to the ground and explode. He also realized something.

"I can work the controls again!" Don said.

"The remote system must have been operated from that ship," John said. "Let me try the hatch."

"No, wait," Don said. "Let me fly over to it and we'll see if we can figure out what happened, and if there's anyone left alive."

Don restarted the ship and slowly hovered above the ground the few thousand feet he need to travel to reach the wrecked Neyoran ship. As they arrived, Maureen spotted a familiar face running toward the wreckage from the other direction.

"Will!" Maureen proclaimed. "Oh John, it's Will!"

"What's he doing out here?" John wondered.

"And where's Penny?" Judy added.

"Oh God, you don't think she was on that ship, do you?" Maureen said.

"I pray to God she wasn't," John said, opening the hatch and quickly exiting the ship. The others followed and all sprinted as fast as they could toward the wreckage. But Will got there first.

"Dr. Smith!" Will cried out over and over again. "Dr. Smith! _Dr. Smith!"_

"What about Dr. Smith, Will?" John yelled, trying to get his son's attention. But Will just kept trying to peer through the smoke and debris. Don ran toward the scene with what appeared to be Neyoran fire extinguisher.

"Let's see if this works like ours," Don said. He fired a cloud of foam at the burning wreckage, and managed to turn much of the flaming to smoldering. Will began to step carefully through the rubble, stumbling briefly over what felt like a body. He looked down. Laying at his feet was the charred remains of Nickas. Will kicked what was left of Nickas's head.

"Bastard," he said.

"Will!" Judy called out, pointing to an object lying near a pile of shattered glass. "Over there!" Tears filled Judy's eyes, and she had to look away.

Will moved to the area to which Judy had directed him. He looked down. The body was covered in blood and burned from head to toe. Will could recognize the turtleneck, V-designed shirt, and he held the head on either side so he could see what was left of the face.

The eyes were closed, the features barely recognizable, but Will had looked into that face so many times that even in this condition, there was no mistaking who it was. Will began to sob a little, then lost all decorum and began to cry uncontrollably. He rested his head on his friend's torso and cried without letting up. The torso held up his head, but emitted no heartbeat.

Dr. Zachary Smith was dead.

John and Maureen stood a ways behind him, side by side, holding each other and having no success fighting back tears. Judy found Don, embraced him and buried her face in his shoulder as her tears flowed.

Maureen broke John's embrace, stepped through the rubble and put her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Will," she said. "I love you."

Will let go of Dr. Smith's body, stood and put his arms around his mother. She held him and comforted him as best she could – but she felt the need for comfort, too. And while it seemed like a difficult time to ask, she needed to know something else.

"Will," Maureen asked, "do you know where Penny is?"

Without moving his head from Maureen's shoulder, Will answered, "She's back at the clearing. Last I saw she was hiding in the woods. She should be OK but we'd probably better go make sure."

John approached Maureen and Will, putting one hand on each of their backs.

"If Penny is back at the clearing, we really should go get her," John said. "Will, how did you get out here?"

Will wiped his eyes and tried to compose himself.

"I was aboard this ship," Will said.

"You were _what?_" Maureen asked in a horrified tone.

"I was hiding on here to try to ambush them," Will said. "Then the two aliens got on board with Dr. Smith, and the next thing I know we're in the air. I managed to shoot their co-pilot, but they caught me and threw me into the co-pilot's seat. They were going to blow you away when Dr. Smith said something to me about activating a chute. Then he pushes a button and I eject in my seat through the top hatch. A minute or so later I see the ship crash to the ground."

"Oh dear God!" Maureen said.

"Mom, Dad," Will said, "The last thing Dr. Smith said to me was something like, 'Tis a far far better thing that I do' – you know, typical Dr. Smith talk, and then something about me remembering that he was my friend, and then he ejected me. I think he crashed their ship. I think he knew it was the only way to save us."

"It apparently was," John said. "Dr. Smith had used Morse Code to instruct Don on how to fly the alien ship, but once it was down to the last two ships, it was as if something overrode Don's actions and controlled the ship remotely. We couldn't move, fire any missiles or open the hatch. We thought we'd had it."

"Then Dr. Smith gave his life to save all of us," Will said.

"Yes," John said. "It certainly appears that he did."

"So after everything that happened, and all the mistakes he made, Dr. Smith _was_ our friend," Will said. "He was."

"Will, history will record that he was," John said. "We will see to it."

"I think that was what he wanted most of all," Will said.

* * *

Back at the clearing, Penny counted only eight Neyorans remaining alive. Of the 67 who had originally left Neyora under Nickas's command, the rest had either perished in space during the ambush on the Jupiter 2, or had died on this very battlefield. Of the eight survivors, three were women and five were children. They were all that was left of Nickas's great colonization mission.

As Penny crouched down in the woods, watching the Neyoran women try to comfort their children in the aftermath of the devastation, she saw one Neyoran ship – apparently the only one remaining – approach the clearing and prepare for a landing. Penny prayed it would be the one containing her own people.

As the ship approached, the women and children began to run toward it. Not sure what they might do if the Earthlings emerged, Penny thought it would be best to keep them at a distance, so she ran from the woods into the clearing, just in time to intercept the women and children as they ran toward the ship.

"Stop!" Penny commanded, firing a warning shot in the air, then reluctantly but forcefully pointing the laser rifle at the Neyorans.

Immediately, they stopped and got down on the ground. The Neyoran children were screaming. The women were doing much the same. Penny hated threatening them, but she had to protect the others – unless the returning ship contained the Neyoran leaders, in which case she would have to presume the others were dead, as she would also be within seconds.

Penny rotated to the side of her prisoners so she could see who emerged from the ship. When the first person to emerge was her father, a look of relief and joy burst onto Penny's face, and she ran toward him, briefly slowing down to turn toward the prisoners, point her laser rifle at them again and remind them that they had better stay put.

Penny practically jumped into John's arms.

"Daddy!" she cried out.

"Oh, Penny," John said. "Will tells me you've been quite busy here."

"I have," she said. "Will and I had to protect the rest of you, but it was horrible, Dad. I had to kill a lot of them. Those women and children over there are all that's left."

Penny started to cry.

"There there, dear, it's OK," John said.

"I don't think I was really ready for what I had to do," Penny sobbed. "Why did they make us do it?"

"I know, sweetie, I know," John said. "They refused to trust us. We tried to talk to them, but it was to no avail. They left us with no choice. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Is everyone OK?" Penny asked, but as she did, she pretty much got her answer as Maureen, Judy, Will and Don emerged from the ship.

"We're OK," Maureen said, putting her arm around Penny even as she continued to embrace John. "Everyone but Dr. Smith."

"What happened to Dr. Smith?" Penny asked.

John loosened his embrace, keeping his hands on Penny's shoulder and looked her in the eye.

"Dr. Smith saved our lives," John said. "He gave Don information about how to operate the alien ship, and then when it appeared we would perish in the battle, Dr. Smith caused the last hostile alien ship to crash and burn. I'm afraid he chose to sacrifice his own life to save the rest of us."

Penny's heart began pounding.

"Dr. Smith was killed?" she asked.

Will began to lose it again. Judy put her arm around him and took his head onto her shoulder. It was all too much for Penny – after all the killing, all the carnage she had witnessed, and now this. She fell back into John's arms and wept without restraint.

* * *

_Several hours later_

Will adjusted the final instruments, replaced the last memory disc and returned the Robot's power pack to its rightful place. Immediately, he lurched into an upright position.

"Oh," said the Robot. "Thank you, Will Robinson. What happened while I was de-activated?"

"A lot, Robot," Will said. "It's a long story, but all the aliens are dead except a few women and children we captured. And Dr. Smith is dead."

"That is terrible news," the Robot said. "What happened to him?"

"He was a hero," Will said. "He forced down the last alien ship and went down with it. He saved the rest of us."

"I am not programmed for emotion," the Robot said, "but this news makes me very sad. Even so, I am proud to hear that Dr. Smith acted selflessly. It is good that he did, in fact, have the capacity to do so."

"We need you to help us talk to the other aliens," Will said.

"Of course," said the Robot. "Take me to them."

A short distance away, John and Don were guarding the prisoners. Penny, Judy and Maureen were nearby, trying to find enough food supplies from the planet's vegetation to feed the Jupiter crew as well as the prisoners. As Will and the Robot approached, Don was the first to see them coming.

"Nice work, Will," Don called out. "Did you bring him up to speed on everything that's happened?"

"Yep," Will said. "He feels the same as the rest of us."

"Well of course he does," Maureen said. "In his own way, I think the Robot was closer to Dr. Smith than any of us."

"You are right, Mrs. Robinson," the Robot said. "In a very strange way, that was indeed true."

"Robot," John said, "I need you to translate for me so I can talk to the prisoners."

"Let's proceed," the Robot said.

"Tell them where we are from, and that we are very sorry about the deaths that occurred here today," John said. "Explain to them that we never wanted to harm anyone, that we were only trying to peacefully colonize this planet, but that we were forced to act in self-defense. Explain that we mean them no harm."

The Robot did so. When he was finished talking, a woman stepped forward from the group.

"_I am Echela,"_ she said, the Robot translating. _"The father of my children was the pilot of one of the ships destroyed in today's battle."_

"I am John Robinson, and I'm very sorry for your loss," John said. "Please understand that all this death was never our intention."

"_I do understand that," _Echela said. _"The man we followed here, the one called Nickas, had a far more radical agenda than we realized when we left our planet. We were seeking a clean, peaceful living environment. But Nickas became obsessed with the threat he perceived from you and your people. I wish for us to be friends if that is agreeable to you."_

"Indeed it is," John said. "And it appears that we will need to share this planet for the foreseeable future, because there is only one operable spacecraft here, and I don't think anyone knows how to fly it beyond this planet's atmosphere. At any rate, I appreciate that you don't hold the deaths of your loved ones against us."

"_John Robinson, if I may be so bold, we and the children desperately need water," _Echela said. _"We are not used to such a dry atmosphere and we need to stay hydrated constantly. May we get the supplies in the remaining ship?"_

"I'll ask my son Will to get it for you," John said, directing Will to do that very thing.

As Will went for the water, Don took John aside.

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Don asked.

"Am I sure?" John repeated rhetorically. "No, I'm not sure. My instincts tell me they're sincere, but I think we should be careful not to let them get their hands on our weapons."

"I agree," Don said. "I'll make sure they don't."

"You do that," John said.

* * *

Everyone agreed it would be best to sleep outside under the stars, not only because the starry sky was stunningly brilliant for their first night on Alpha Prime, but also because the inside atmosphere on the Neyoran spaceship was unbearably humid.

But in spite of the remaining Neyorans' peaceful outreach, everyone agreed they should take turns keeping watch until they had some way to ascertain with more certainty that they were indeed friendly.

John and Will took the first watch together.

Sitting out on a grassy hill, they watched from about 200 feet as their four Earth colleagues and the five Neyorans lay out under the stars in whatever makeshift or sleeping bag everyone could come up with. It was striking to realize there wasn't a single artificial light on the entire planet. But on this night, the stars in the sky provided all anyone could possibly want.

"Dad," Will said, "has it occurred to you that we've gone from being lost in space to being trapped here?"

"Well, that's one way of looking at it, Will," John said. "But I don't know that we're trapped. True, we've lost the Jupiter 2 and the space pod, but we do have a spacecraft. The question is, can we master the task of flying it well enough to get anywhere. Or more likely, can we use its radio to communicate again with Earth? I know it will take some time, but I think we'll find a way."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Will said. "I was just thinking what a shame it would be if we finally made it to Alpha Centauri, and then we couldn't communicate with Earth, or get back there, to tell them about it."

"Those same thoughts crossed my mind too, Will, but I don't think that's going to be our fate," John assured him. "How are you doing, son?"

"Well, fine I guess, Dad," Will said.

"Dr. Smith's death was hard on all of us, but I know it was especially hard on you," John said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Well," Will said, drawing a circle in the dirt as he sat on the hill next to his father, "inside I'm still very sad. But there was something – and I hadn't told you this yet, Dad – but I had a very interesting talk with Dr. Smith right before the battle. And I think he was finally starting to understand his own character."

"He certainly was awash in contradictions at times," John said. "But what matters in life is your ultimate destination, and Dr. Smith chose honor at the very end. That's how he deserves to be remembered, and it's how he _will_ be remembered."

"Dad," Will said, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course, son," John said.

"Well," Will said, "how come all those times Dr. Smith got himself in trouble, and all those times he got us in trouble along with him, you always protected him? I mean, when he cost us our chance to get back to Earth by going out after that green lady, you chose to rescue him. When that alien was holding him hostage, you and Don went right to their ship and demanded he be released. I mean, with all the trouble he caused, and the fact that wasn't supposed to be with us in the first place, weren't you ever tempted to just abandon him? Say good riddance?"

"Was I tempted?" John said. "Of course I was tempted at times. But one thing I learned about being a leader is that you stand up for your people. You might have to deal with some things internally, and Lord knows we did with Dr. Smith, but in the end, he was one of us. Once it became clear that he was going to be a part of our expedition, whether we liked it or not, I made the decision that I would stand up for him the same as I would for anyone else."

"I guess that's a pretty good rule for a leader, Dad," Will said.

"And don't forget, Will, he was a human being," John said. "Now sometimes when he pushed my patience to the limit, your mother had to remind me of that. But it was worth remembering. And besides, if he hadn't still been with us when we got here, those aliens might have obliterated us in that spaceship."

"I guess you're right, Dad," Will said. "I know Don was ready to just leave him a few times."

"Oh, Don may have said that," John said. "But he never would have, really. Remember, Don argued for leaving him out in space when we were so close to getting back to Earth, but once the decision was made to go retrieve him, Don was the one who suited up and went out there to get him. No, Don vents his emotions sometimes, but he didn't hate Dr. Smith like it sometimes seemed."

"I want to have a suitable memorial service for him, Dad," Will said.

"Then we will do that," John said. "Tomorrow will be a new day. As for tonight, I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open."

"Me too," Will said, and as he did, he felt himself drifting into sleep. Before long, watch or no watch, both he and John could stay awake no longer.

* * *

Alpha Centauri rose in the west, just like the Sun to the Earth, and the first hint of brightness roused Will Robinson from his sleep. He was startled at first by the realization that he had dozed off during his watch, but as he turned to his father, he could see that he hadn't been the only one guilty.

Out on the horizon, Will was struck by the brilliance of what he guessed he would call a sunrise, even though this wasn't the Sun. But as he looked up into the sky, he quickly realized there was more than just the star to gaze at.

"Dad," Will said, shaking his father.

John murmured a bit and rolled over.

"Dad!" Will said louder. "Wake up! Dad! _Wake up!"_

John opened his eyes.

"What is it, Will?" John asked. "Did I fall asleep on watch? I'm sorry."

"Never mind that, Dad," Will said, pointing to the sky. "Look."

John looked up, and instantly bolted his entire body upright.

"Dear God," John said.

"I know," Will said. "We've really got company now."

In the morning sky, no fewer than 200 spacecraft – clearly Neyoran, just like the others – hovered in the sky, surrounding them from all directions.

"What do we do?" Will asked.

"I don't know," John said. "I don't know."


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters in this story, but since Irwin Allen is dead, I could probably kidnap them and get away with it.

**Chapter 16**

The whirring sound of 200 spacecraft descending to the surface of Alpha Prime was more than enough to wake up the remaining Earthlings and Neyorans who had been sleeping in the clearing in the glow of the dawn. As Don opened his eyes to the noise and saw the approaching army of ships in the sky, he spotted John and Will running toward the group from the grassy hill where they'd been keeping watch. It occurred to Don that he had been waiting for John to wake him up so he could take his turn keeping watch. He hadn't expected to wake up after sunrise, and he certainly hadn't expected to see anything like this.

"When did they get here?" Don asked.

"I don't know exactly," John said. "Will was the first to wake up and he spotted them in the sky. We both fell asleep on watch."

"Note to self, don't fall asleep on watch," Don said. "See what happens?"

Quickly locating the Robot, John ordered him to accompany him to where Echela and the other Neyorans were also waking up. With the Robot translating, John hoped to find out what Echela might know about what appeared to be a massive invasion.

"Were you expecting all these ships from your planet to arrive?" John asked.

"_Not exactly,"_ Echela said. _"The fleet our group came in was part of a much larger fleet. The original idea was to wait until we had many thousands of people who would travel in shifts on 250 ships. But Nickas led a rogue group that didn't want to wait, and my family and I were part of that group. What you see in the sky right now is the rest of the fleet."_

"What do you think, John?" Don asked. "We can't possibly fight them, but maybe if we flee into the woods we could elude them."

"No chance," John said. "Not with this many of them, and I'm sure they have sophisticated radar. That's how they knew we were on the other planet, after all. No, our only chance is to talk them. At least we can do that now that the Robot is able to understand and speak their language."

While the others remained at an altitude of about 1,000 feet, one of the ships descended into a hovering position just above the ground, and finally landed.

"I want everyone to stay here except the Robot," John said. "If they see that I'm alone and unarmed, maybe they'll accept that I'm not an enemy."

"Dad," Judy said, "how do you know they won't think the Robot is a weapon?"

"I'll have to take that chance," John said. "I can't communicate without the Robot, and I can't explain that he's not a weapon if I can't communicate."

John strode toward the ship as its hatch opened. With his arms at his sides and the Robot standing next to him, John waited as three armed Neyorans descended the ramp. Upon spotting John, they immediately pointed their weapons at him, prompting John to put his hands in the air.

Maureen gasped, and the others nervously held their breaths.

"_We are friends and are not armed,"_ said the Robot in Neyoran, as John had instructed him in advance to do. _"We are no threat to you."_

As the three Neyoran soldiers held John at gunpoint, another figure appeared atop the ramp. When he did, Echela sprung up from the ground and ran toward him.

"_Brile!"_ Echela exclaimed, running toward he fellow Neyoran and throwing her arms around him.

"_Echela," _Brile said in a somber tone surveying the wreckage that remained all around them, _"good lord, what happened here?"_

"_Brile, I am so sorry,"_ Echela said. _"Nickas convinced more than 60 of us to accompany him here ahead of your plans. He believed these Earth people were a threat to our plans and had to be stopped. We were wrong to come, and the entire mission has been a terrible disaster. Only seven of us remain alive."_

"_Nickas?"_ Brile asked.

"_Nickas is dead," _Echela said. _"He died in the battle with the Earthlings."_

"_And where are all these Earthlings?"_ Brile asked.

"_These are them, right here," _she said, motioning toward the Jupiter crew. _"One of them died and there are only six more. That one right there is their leader. He wants to speak with you."_

"_Are you telling me that seven Earthlings killed 60 Neyorans in battle?"_ Brile asked with amazement.

"_They are very smart and resourceful," _Echela said. _"And they insist that they had no intention to harm us – that they only acted in self-defense. Apparently Nickas sent Rengrola to attack them on Fehrinth before they even left there to come here, and that mission likewise ended in failure and death for our people. They also used four of our spacecraft to attempt an ambush of them in space, and the Earthlings escaped while all four of our ships and their crews were destroyed."_

"_Do you believe them when they say they mean us no harm?" _Brile asked.

"_All I know is that, since Nickas died, they have fed us, cared for us and done us no harm,"_ Echela said.

"_Very well, then," _Brile said. _"A lot of people died at the airfield when your group took off. It was a terrible scene. The entire planet is talking about it and support for the colonization initiative has dropped dramatically."_

Echela bowed her head.

"_I am so sorry for what we did,"_ she said. _"It was terribly wrong. We are ready to go back and face the consequences of our actions."_

"_That's to come," _Brile said, then left Echela and approached John Robinson, who was still being held by the three Neyoran guards.

"I am John Robinson, commander of the Earth ship Jupiter 2," John said with the Robot translating. "We are friends and wish to do you no harm."

Brile motioned for the guards to unhand John.

"_I am Brile. I built this fleet of spaceships. The woman from my planet tells me you and your companions from Earth have killed a great many of my people," _Brile said.

"That is true," John said. "But we only did so in self-defense. They attacked us before we left our previous planet, then attacked us in space and again when we arrived here. We did not come here to have a fight with anyone and were only protecting ourselves."

"_Walk with me, John Robinson," _Brile said.

"Our Robot will need to accompany us so he can translate," John said.

"_Very well," _Brile said, and he and John began to walk a distance away from the others. _"The group from my planet that you encountered was led by a man named Nickas. Our original plan was to bring several thousand people to colonize Alpha Prime because we are suffering from overpopulation and depleted resources. All the ships you see in the sky this morning were to transport all these people. But Nickas was very radical and broke off from the others. When he left to come here, he took 13 of my spacecraft without my permission and killed several of my people escaping. I see that he has also caused the death of a great many more people here, including himself and one of your companions."_

"That is true," John said. "They also destroyed our spaceship."

"_John Robinson, I wish to apologize to you for what these rogue people from my planet have done to you," _Brile said. _"I was responsible for building this fleet and for organizing the colonization mission. Ultimately everything that's happened here is my responsibility. It has brought great shame on me and on all of Neyora."_

"You couldn't have known this man Nickas would do these things," John said. "Your friendly demeanor toward us is much appreciated and we certainly do not hold you responsible for what he did."

"_Thank you, John Robinson,"_ Brile said. _"I am convinced that you are a man of peace and goodwill."_

"If I may ask, Brile, why did you decide to bring such a large fleet here today?" John asked.

"_Once we were certain Nickas had brought his party here, we decided to bring our entire fleet here to overwhelm him with force, and arrest the entire group to come back and face charges on Neyora," _Brile said. _"Apparently there are very few remaining to charge."_

"And the few who are left are women and children," John said. "I suspect they were merely following others."

"_Probably so," _Brile said.

"At any rate," John said, "we are more than happy to share this planet with you, Brile. We make no claim to exclusivity here. We only want to live in peace, as our planet is also suffering from overpopulation and depletion of resources."

"_Thank you, John Robinson, but you will not need to do so," _Brile said. _"I have already announced to the people of Neyora that the Alpha Prime colonization initiative is cancelled. What was done to you here, not to mention what they did on Neyora, is contrary to every moral code of our planet, and I believe we have forfeited any right to settle here."_

"Are you sure," John asked. "We are not trying to pressure you to leave."

"_I am sure, John Robinson," _Brile said. _"It is the right thing to do. My own actions, all motivated by good intentions, have resulted in terrible tragedy and evil. This has forced me to reconsider my own moral obligations, and this is how I believe I must meet them. We will gather up the remaining Neyorans and take them home. However, there is the matter of your having lost your spaceship. I am obligated to compensate you for that loss."_

"Money doesn't do us much good here," John said.

"_Of course it doesn't," _Brile said. _"But a brand new, perfectly functioning spacecraft would. I am going to give you one of ours. They are quite simple to fly, but I will need to show you some things about how the controls work. I will also provide you with more than enough fuel to get to Earth and back at least 20 times."_

John smiled.

"Twenty trips back and forth between here and Earth would take 200 years at the speed of light," John said. "It's five light years from here."

"_Didn't your ship have a targeted hyperdrive?"_ Brile asked.

"I don't know what a targeted hyperdrive is," John said. "A hyperdrive is a theoretical method of instant molecular transport, but the danger even if you could develop one – which we never have – is that you have no idea where you will come out."

"_Really?"_ Brile said. _"Let me show you."_

Moments later, with Don and the rest of the Robinsons joining them, John and Brile boarded a second ship that Brile had ordered to land. Standing at the controls, with the Robot still translating, Brile pointed to a round, glass-covered object with swirling gold lights inside.

"_This is a very advanced radar system called TridLyx,"_ Brile said. _"You hone in on your destination, anywhere in the galaxy, then fly toward it while accelerating to the speed of light. When you reach the speed of light, you will pass through a hyperdrive and emerge at your intended location. This is how we were able to reach Alpha Prime from Neyora so quickly. Using the targeted hyperdrive, you will be able to reach Earth in less than a day."_

"Astounding," Don said. "Can one of these radios contact Earth from here?"

"_Absolutely," _Brile said. _"As long as you know the coordinates to point it to. Here, you use these controls to program the coordinates. Do you know them?"_

Penny, who had spent so many hours fixing the Jupiter 2's radio, gave Brile the coordinates and he punched them in.

"_I'll lock them in, since I doubt you'll want to be calling anywhere else,"_ Brile said. _"Go ahead and try it."_

John took the transmitter.

"Alpha Control, this is Jupiter 2," John said. "Come in, Alpha Control."

They waited a few seconds, then a voice came back.

"Jupiter 2, this is Alpha Control," said Katherine Greenway's voice. "What happened to you? When we lost contact with you yesterday, we feared you had all been lost."

"We had a very interesting experience once we arrived here," John said. "I'll have to tell you about it later, but for now let me assure you that we are OK, although we did lose our spaceship and our pod."

"Professor Robinson, you're going to need to start giving us a bit more in the way of details," Greenway said. "If you lost the Jupiter 2 and the space pod, what are you calling us from?"

John paused for a second to consider how to explain that. Will had a suggestion, which he whispered in John's ear. John smiled and nodded.

"Alpha Control, we are changing call signs," John said. "We are now the Jupiter 3. And you'll have the pleasure of seeing our new spacecraft in a matter of days."

"Days?" Greenway asked incredulously. "Are you going to beam yourself here like on Star Trek?"

"Colonel, I can't even begin to tell you how unrealistic that show was," John said. "I'll have to call you back a little later with the details."

"Professor Robinson!" Greenway insisted. "I demand that you tell me what's going on there!"

"This is Jupiter 3 signing off for now," John said.

The Robot had not been translating the radio transmission, so Brile couldn't understand what was being said, but he had gotten a sense of it.

"_It sounds to me like your base commanders on Earth were surprised to hear from you," _Brile said.

"They'll be even more surprised when we show up there in this ship," John said. "I'll have to call her back later and give her more details, otherwise they'll shoot us out of the sky before we can land. Anyway, that's not your concern. Brile, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us here. We thought we would be trapped on this planet with no way to contact our own."

"_I don't imagine you had a very good feeling when you saw 200 of our spacecraft in the sky either," _Brile said.

"No," John said with a chuckle. "I was pretty sure we'd had it at that point. There is one other thing, and it may seem like a trivial matter to you. But is there any way to stop the interior of the ship from being so humid?"

Brile smiled.

"_Of course," _he said. _"The humidity duplicates the real-life atmosphere on our planet. You must come from a much dryer atmosphere, as I see you are without gills. This switch right here turns off the humidity. It says 'Humid Control.'"_

Brile flipped the switch down. John smiled and shook his head.

"I guess I'd better learn to read Neyoran," John said.

"_I wish you well, John Robinson," _Brile said. _"You and your family. This ship is yours. Mine and the rest will return to Neyora after I answer any further questions Major West may have about how to operate the controls."_

The rest of the Neyoran fleet left Alpha Prime, but Brile and his crew stayed behind while he and Don spent about four more hours going over controls of the ship. They even took a test ride to ensure that Don knew how to operate everything correctly. Before the Neyorans were ready to leave the planet, Brile also supplied the Robinsons with a complete set of tools they would need to build a house, and even install indoor plumbing. Finally, Brile's ship led the newly christened Jupiter 3 to a more suitable settlement spot about 1,500 miles away from the first one – with a closer, more plentiful supply of water, and plenty of nearby fruit and other edible vegetation.

"Brile," John said, "I have to say you have been the best friend we have met in the three years of our travels through space. Thank you so much for all you've done for us."

"_It was the least I could do after you were attacked by Nickas and the others," _Brile said. _"I hope it can be said that the people of Neyora and the people of Earth are now considered friends."_

"As Earth's designated representative on this planet, I decree it to be so," John said, and extended his hand, which Brile took.

"_Goodbye, John Robinson," _Brile said. _"Good bye, Robinson family. Major West. Best wishes to you all."_

As they waved and said good bye, Brile boarded his ship and it departed, leaving only John, Maureen, Don, Judy, Will and Penny to inhabit Alpha Prime – along with the Robot and the Jupiter 3.

The Jupiter 3 was a massive spacecraft. Now that the humidity had been turned off, they comfortably explored it. Judy thought back to the first time she saw one of these ships – peering out from the cave on the prior planet after hearing the explosions – and realizing that it was hostile. It was hard for her to believe that one of these same ships would now be their home.

With hundreds of comfortably sized staterooms and large beds, as well as a fully stocked kitchen and living area, the Robinsons would have no trouble living here until they were able to get a house built.

"Dad," Will said, "now that we've got the tools we need, we should probably start building a house right way, don't you think?"

"No, Will," John said. "I think there's something else that needs to happen first. You children have been traveling through space for three years. You haven't experienced anything resembling a normal life, and it's amazing to me how little you have complained. Don, I want you to bring Judy, Penny and Will to Earth as soon as we can get the ship ready."

"What about you and Mom, Dad?" Judy asked.

"Your mother and I will stay behind and start putting together plans to build a house," John said. "When you arrive on Earth, you can work with Alpha Control to bring back a larger colonization party to help us with the effort."

"I don't want to leave you and Mom behind, Dad!" Penny protested.

"Your father is right," Maureen said. "Now that we're here, and we know how quickly you can come and go between here and Earth, two of us can do the exploration that will be necessary to prepare the planet for others to join us. But we've been wanting to find a way to send you children back to Earth almost since the time we were first lost in space. Remember, we nearly sent you back with Jimmy Hapgood. But now you can make the trip, get a chance to spend some time back on Earth and then come back to see us with a larger colonization party."

"Are you sure you don't need me here to help you?" Judy asked.

"We're sure," Maureen said. "You go with Don, Penny and Will. We'll see you when you return with the others. Now let's start getting the ship ready for your trip."

* * *

_That evening_

John, Maureen, Don, Judy, Penny and the Robot surrounded a small tombstone. Will stood at the front of the group. The tombstone read simply:

DOCTOR ZACHARY SMITH - BORN 1947 DIED 2000 - HE WAS OUR FRIEND

"When people die," Will began, "usually everyone gets up and gives speeches about how they were wonderful in every way, as if they had no faults. I think we all know we can't talk that way about Dr. Smith. But even though we all saw his faults, and we sometimes paid the price for those faults, I think we all knew that deep down inside, there was a good man who just had trouble finding his way to the surface.

"Dr. Smith sometimes took too long to get around to doing the right thing, but let's not forget how many times he finally did. Maybe we were amazed that Dr. Smith risked his life to help us fight off the missile attack we endured before we left for Alpha Prime. Maybe we were even more amazed when he volunteered to go down with the Jupiter 2. And even though it appeared that he had fallen into his old habits and betrayed us, Dr. Smith always had another surprise for us, and if you ask me, his last act was the ultimate act of personal redemption.

"I was the only one of us who was there aboard that alien ship before Dr. Smith went down with it, and I saw a look in his eyes that I had never seen before. It was a look of peace, of understanding of who he was and of what he was intended to do in this life. Before that, I always thought Dr. Smith tried a little too hard to appear the way he wanted to appear to us. I think that's maybe why we had problems with him as much as we did. He was afraid to be authentic. I think he was afraid to let us know the real him.

"That's too bad, because I probably got to know the real Dr. Smith better than anyone here, and let me tell you, there was a lot good about him. He loved science, he loved literature, he loved culture. We all know how he would go on about fine food and caviar and all that kind of stuff. But he had studied hard to learn about all those things, and he was proud of it. I'll never forget playing chess with him, and watching him play with the Robot, and seeing how he would analyze the moves and relate them to strategies that people would use in real life.

"Maybe he was using too much strategy in his relationships with others. Maybe he needed to just relax and be himself. I guess I can understand why he didn't want us to know the truth about him, considering what we know now about why he was aboard the Jupiter 2 in the first place, but I've come to believe that Dr. Smith the saboteur wasn't the real Dr. Smith, nor was Dr. Smith the coward, the glutton or the sloth. I think the Dr. Smith who brought that alien ship down in the last act of his life was the real man, and I think that's why he was able to die at peace with himself, because no matter how long it took, he finally made his peace with himself and his peace with God. I pray now that God will accept him into his presence, and one more thing. I pray that Dr. Smith will hear us as we say to him, yes, Dr. Smith. You were, and will always be, our friend."

Everyone nodded through tears. Even the Robot emitted a sound that Will could have sworn sounded like blowing one's nose. They had decided not to bury his body on Alpha Prime, figuring he would have wanted to make his long-desired trip back to Earth, so they packed him in ice and radioed ahead to ask Alpha Control to arrange for burial.

"Zachary Smith is the saboteur," Greenway reminded Don. "You're asking us to arrange for a hero's burial?"

"About that sabotage thing," Don said, "it was really all just a big misunderstanding. Dr. Smith was our friend. I was wondering if you might not be able to prevail upon the powers-that-be to let him be buried at Arlington National Cemetery."

"Arlington?" Greenway repeated. "Do you realize what a big request that is?"

"Well," Don said, "he did sacrifice his life in battle for the rest of us. If that doesn't qualify for Arlington, I don't know what does."

"All I can tell you, Don, is that you're looking at some debrief when you get back," Greenway said.

"I can hardly wait, Colonel," Don replied. "This is Jupiter 3 signing off."

As Don put down the radio, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He smiled but didn't turn around.

"If this is one of those alien women with the gills, you should know I'm kind of interested in someone else," Don said.

From behind him, Judy put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think we could go for a walk now without getting interrupted by any missiles or ambushes or anything like that?" Judy asked.

"With our history?" Don said. "I wouldn't bet on it. But there's nothing I'd like more than to give it a try."

Judy took his hand and they strolled down the ramp and toward a grassy path. Their fingers intertwined each other's, and as they walked, they couldn't stop looking into each other's eyes.

"Let's sit down by that pond over there," Don said.

At the water's edge, Don cleared a spot for Judy to sit on, then sat facing her, and took both her hands in his. She smiled and looked into his eyes – and waited to see if there was anything in particular he had on his mind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I own your hearts. My public, you love me.

**Chapter 17**

Don ran his fingertips along the palms of Judy's hands, back and forth and in circles. As he caressed her fingers, he gazed at the softness and smoothness of her skin. He looked into her wide, hazel eyes and was struck by the way they accentuated her thick lips. He ran his right hand gently along her jaw line and further to the back of her neck, then ran his hand through her thick, long blonde hair.

"Judy," Don said, "I guess it would be the most anticlimactic statement in history for me to tell you I'm in love with you."

Butterflies rushed from Judy's stomach to her throat. She could hardly get words out as she tried to control her emotions.

"It wouldn't be wrong for you to tell me anyway, Don," she said in a cracking voice. "It wouldn't be wrong."

Don looked down momentarily to gather his thoughts.

"Judy, I can't just sit here and say I'm falling in love with you. That happened such a long time ago I can hardly remember how long it's been. I was always afraid you would hate me for not coming right out and saying it, but it just seemed like given our circumstance, nothing good could happen if I did."

"I don't hate you, Don," Judy said. "I wanted you to say it, but I knew why you didn't and I understand."

"Now that we're here," Don said, "and now that we're about to head back to Earth, it seems like I don't have any more reason to hold back. And I don't want a reason to. I want the opposite. I want to say to you what I know you already know, but it seems like you deserve to have it said to you properly."

Choking up again, Judy replied: "I'm not stopping you."

Don took both her hands again in his. He held them gently and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Judy Robinson, I love you with all my heart," Don said. "What's kept me going these past three years has been the hope that you and I could one day have a life together. Now that it seems possible, I can't let another moment go by without telling you how I feel. I love you. And if you would so honor me, I know you would be a happy woman – and I know you would feel loved, respected and needed – every day of your life."

Before he could get out another word, Judy threw her arms around him and overwhelmed his lips with hers. Steadying himself after nearly falling backwards, Don embraced Judy around her lower back while she held him tightly around the upper shoulders. Their lips tangled softly and playfully, catching and exploring each other – then pressing firmly against each other while their bodies mashed together intensely.

Breathing heavily, Don could feel his heartbeat elevate like never before – not even during the missile attacks near Vuldalia had he felt this kind of rush – when Judy briefly pulled away, clasped the back of his head and pressed her nose against his.

Her wide eyes filled with joy and excitement, she said, "Don West, I love you too. I am so completely and totally enthralled with being in love with you – and you have just made this the happiest day of my life. My God, I have waited so long for this. I have wanted this for so long. Oh God don't let this be a dream."

As Don sat upright on the ground with his legs extended in front of him, Judy climbed onto his lap and straddled him. Don ran his hands up and down along her sides, intermittently running them up along her back to her shoulders, then back down along her sides.

"My best dreams are nowhere near as good as this," Don said.

Judy's lips came once again to meet his. As they kissed with growing intensity, Judy pressed her breasts against Don's torso and ran her hands along his back, then brought them up to grasp his strong shoulders. Don's tongue darted out to probe Judy's mouth, and she loosened her lips to allow it entry, joining his tongue with her own and engaging it in a spirited dance of passion.

Their mouths opening wider and their tongues wrestling more fiercely, Judy pushed her weight forward and rocked Don back onto the ground, landing on top of him and spreading her legs as he put his arms around her back.

He kissed her harder and probed her mouth more deeply, and Don could feel Judy's center rub against his raging erection. As she rubbed on him more aggressively, Don reached down and grabbed her ass, using it to press her tightly against him.

"Oh my God," she said. "You can't even imagine how much I want you."

While she spoke, Don embraced her around the back and rolled her over until he was on top. Their bodies fitting together perfectly, Judy spread her legs and wrapped them around him, and he continued pressing against her center as he kissed her. Breaking the lip lock, he brought his kisses across her cheek and down her neck, causing her to writhe with excitement. As she did, he ran his hand along the outside of her blouse and brought it to rest on her breast. He squeezed and caressed it gently while she took his ass in her hand, then moved her fingers around to his front and took his erection into her grasp.

"I can't resist you," Don said, panting.

"I don't want you to," Judy said.

Don stopped for a second and took a few breaths. "We don't have any privacy at all here," he said. "Any one of your family could walk right up here at any second. We're not even that far from the ship."

Judy's lips went into a pout.

"I hate that you're right," she said.

"I hate it more," Don said. "I feel like I'm going to explode. I mean, not like the Jupiter 2 exploded. More in a good way."

Judy laughed. The moment had been so intense, but part of what she loved about Don was his well-timed sense of humor.

"I can't even believe you got the Jupiter 2 as far as you did," Judy said. "How you evaded those missiles in space, I will never know. You were amazing out there."

"Hey," Don said, "I was just trying to keep up with you. I'm kissing the girl who took out the aliens with a laser rifle and a wheel barrel full of deutronium canisters."

"Well, me and Dr. Smith," Judy said.

"And with all proper and due respect to our dearly departed friend," Don said, "I find it hard to imagine that he was the one calling the shots out there. What got into you? Should we have been putting you in charge of protecting us from danger the whole time?"

"I just tried to do what I thought you would do," Judy said. "It was just dumb luck that Dr. Smith and I were away from the ship when it happened, so I tried to think like a West. Maybe that's something I'll get to do again."

Don smiled.

"Now that you mention it, before we continue what we just started here, there's something I think we need to do," Don said, taking her by the hands and pulling her up. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" she said, her gait turning to a trot as he led her.

"You'll see," Don said. "Just come with me."

* * *

With the entire cabinet assembled, the president began the meeting.

"I realize we only have a few months left in office," the president said. "But we find ourselves on the cusp of an extraordinary event, and it's one that won't wait until the inauguration of my successor – whoever that may turn out to be. As you all know, the Robinson family left Earth three years ago in the Jupiter 2, destined for Alpha Centauri and what we hoped at the time would be the discovery of a new world humanity could target for future colonization. After Alpha Control detected the ship had veered off course and sustained damage in flight, it was presumed the ship and all hands aboard were lost.

"This was not the case. In the past several days, we have received communication from our space travelers, and in fact we are currently in contact with them. They have in fact been awake since just hours into their maiden flight, and spent three years lost in space. Through an extraordinary set of circumstances, they have indeed reached Alpha Centauri and are currently located on the planet Alpha Prime."

The cabinet members gasped. The president continued:

"There is more. The Robinsons and Major West have encountered aliens from a planet that calls itself Neyora in a star system called Lalonde 21185. Some of the Neyorans were hostile, but it appears the people of this planet were by-and-large friendly, and they even provided the Robinsons with a new ship – constructed on their planet – to replace the now-destroyed Jupiter 2."

The president paused to give the cabinet members a chance to take all this in.

"Mr. President," said the secretary of state, "have you informed the allies? The Russians? The UN?"

"No," he said. "You are the first to hear it outside the staff at Alpha Control. But we will have no choice but to go public with this very soon."

"Why?" asked the press secretary.

"Because," said the president, "according to Major West, the alien ship is equipped with something called a targeted hyperdrive. I'll spare you the science, as I don't entirely understand it myself, but the long and short of it is that they will be able to travel from Alpha Prime to Earth inside of a day instead of five years. And Professor Robinson has ordered Major West to bring the ship back to Earth, with his children aboard, immediately. We expect their arrival as soon as tomorrow."

"Are you telling me," said national security advisor, "that an alien spaceship is going to be entering our atmosphere within days?"

"It could be hours," the president said. "Driven by people from Earth."

"I don't see how we can possibly be ready to prepare the public for this, Mr. President," said the press secretary. "Not that quickly. Not to mention the press. They'll go bananas. Couldn't we prevail on Professor Robinson to hold off until we come up with some sort of a strategy?"

"I thought about that," the president said. "But I don't think it's the right thing to do. They've been traveling through space for three years. They need food and supplies. They have no shelter there except for this alien spaceship. And they've just been through a violent battle that cost one of them his life."

"The boy? Will?" asked the secretary of transportation.

"No," said the president. "Will Robinson is fine."

"You said _his_ life," the secretary of transportation said. "And you already said Professor Robinson and Major West are alive. What other male was on the journey."

"Dr. Zachary Smith, the presumed saboteur," the president said.

"_Presumed?"_ asked the secretary of agriculture incredulously. "I didn't think there was any question about it."

"Neither did I," the president said. "But Major West now claims it was all a misunderstanding. Apparently Smith was trapped on board at liftoff, and it was his extra weight that messed up the astro-navigator and sent them off course. That's why we haven't been able to find him. He hasn't been here. But Major West says Smith was actually a friend to the expedition and gave his life saving them from the aliens. I don't know. The whole thing doesn't make complete sense to me, but we'll find out more when Major West is debriefed. At any rate, this is happening and we have to prepare for it. Joe, prepare a statement for the press. I'll deliver it with the SecDef at my side. Madeline, open a line of communication with the British, the French, the Canadians, the Australians, the Israelis, the Japanese, the Chinese and the Russians. And Mack, have Air Force One prepared to take me to Houston. Their arrival demands a presidential greeting. I need to be there. This needs to happen within the next two hours. And everyone, not a word about this until I've consulted with the allies and made the announcement. This is probably going to wipe the fiasco in Florida off the front pages, if that's possible."

"Speaking of which," said the secretary of the Treasury, "where is the vice president? Shouldn't he be here?"

The president shrugged his shoulders.

"I think he's in Broward County trying to get the military absentee ballots thrown out," the president said. "I didn't figure he'd want to be bothered."

"What if he's the next president?" asked the secretary of commerce.

The president scrunched his face.

"I've got a feeling about that," he said. "Something tells me I'll need to be briefing the governor of Texas shortly. I don't think you can sue your way to the White House, but who knows? In the meantime, we've got work to do."

* * *

John Robinson stood before his companions, holding a Bible. Don West stood at his side. Maureen sat in a chair before them. About 30 feet away, Will Robinson offered his arm to his sister Judy, who took it with her hand.

"Are you ready?" Will asked.

"I've been ready for this for a long time," Judy replied.

Will smiled. "OK," he said. "Let's do it."

Will escorted Judy to the front, then stopped where Maureen sat. Maureen stood, put her arms around Judy and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you, dear," Maureen said.

"I love you too, Mom," Judy said, then turned to her father. "You too, Dad."

Judy took her place next to Don, with Penny at her left.

"Dearly beloved," John said, "We are gathered here today to witness the coming together in marriage of two people we love very much – Donald Michael West and Judith June Robinson. It is my honor and my privilege, as the newly elected mayor of the city of Smith's Grove, to preside over this ceremony. Does the best man have the ring?"

"Affirmative," said the best man, who extended his claw – holding a ring fashioned from the gold-plated communication consul of the space pod – and handed the ring to Don.

"Thank you, Robot," Don said.

"I am pleased to be of service," the Robot said, then emitted a small squealing sound. "I am sorry. I always cry at weddings."

"Don," John said, "do you take Judy to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I certainly do," Don said in a gleeful tone.

"And Judy," John said, "do you take Don to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

"Oh yes I do," Judy said, smiling ear-to-ear.

"Then," John said, "by the powers invested in me according to the laws of the planet Alpha Prime – which I am admittedly making up as I go along – I now pronounce you husband and wife. Don, Major West, son-in-law . . . you may kiss your bride."

Don and Judy embraced and kissed softly, catching each other's lips, then bouncing off and catching them again several times before they decided to be mindful of the presence of the others.

"My dear family," John said, "I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Don and Judy West."

Everyone applauded and surrounded the couple with hugs and kisses.

"Bravo! Bravo!" proclaimed the Robot.

"Well, Don, now that you're an _official_ member of the family, I can't wait to hear what your honeymoon plans are," John said.

Don laughed and put his arm around his wife.

"If we really look hard we might find a nice cave somewhere," Don said. "But then again, now that the humidity is turned off, perhaps my father-in-law wouldn't object if we just share a stateroom in a different section of the ship from the rest of you. No offense, you understand."

"None taken!" John said with a smile. "I must say, I always felt this day _should_ come. I wasn't sure if it ever _could_ come, but I couldn't be more pleased that it has."

"Nor could I," Maureen said.

"So you approve of my choice?" Judy asked with a grin. "You don't think I should have held out for a stockbroker or something?"

"Well he is an astronaut!" John said, then put his arms around Don and embraced him for the first time as his son-in-law.

"I know you love my daughter," John said softly into Don's ear. "Take good care of her."

"You know I will," Don said.

"Yes," John said. "I do know that."

* * *

_A few hours later_

Will sat alongside a glistening river with the Robot next to him. He held the ring Dr. Smith had always worn. It was a little charred from the explosion and fire that engulfed the Neyoran ship, but surprisingly intact considering what happened to everything else in that blaze.

"Robot, the one thing I regret is that I never had the chance to tell Dr. Smith how proud I was of him for what he did," Will said.

"I understand, Will Robinson," the Robot said. "But perhaps it could not have been any other way."

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

"I mean that Dr. Smith fought a perpetual battle within himself over whether to be a good man or an evil one," the Robot said. "Just as I follow my programming – and a programmer with evil intent could make me do evil things – so, too, Dr. Smith suffered from contradictory programming of his own. It may be that the only way he could triumph over his temptation to evil was to make the victory his last."

"You mean if he'd stayed alive, he might have been subjected to temptation again?" Will asked.

"Affirmative," the Robot said. "Dr. Smith wanted to do good. But deep down he understood his own weaknesses. He tried to create a façade of being strong, but he knew who he was. In many ways, he and I had a great deal in common. Perhaps that is why his death has made me so very sad."

"You did have an interesting relationship with him," Will said. "I could never keep track of all the put-down names he had for you. It seemed like he came up with a new one just about every day."

"I have stored them all in my memory banks," the Robot said. "In alphabetical order, they were: Aluminum Canary, Animated Weather Station, Arrogant Automation, Astigmatic Automaton, Automated Oaf, Babbling Birdbrain, Babbling Bumpkin, Bellicose Bumpkin, Blithering Blatherskite . . ."

Will tumbled over on his side laughing.

"I can't believe you remembered all those," Will said. "That's hilarious."

"I remember everything about Dr. Smith," the Robot said. "Unfortunately, these memories are very hard for me to deal with now. As I think you know, while not programmed for human emotions, I have taken on certain human qualities during my association with you and your family, Will Robinson. My grief at the loss of my friend is proving to be more than I can bear."

"Robot," Will said, "I guess I didn't realize you had such fond feelings for Dr. Smith."

"I always hoped that Dr. Smith would overcome his inner demons, Will Robinson," the Robot said. "But I could not make him do so. He had to do it on his own. Once he did so, this made me overjoyed, yet also sad because he lost his life at the same time."

"I know exactly how you feel, Robot," Will said. "Do you think Dr. Smith is in Heaven? I don't know if you're even programmed to understand a concept like that."

"I am programmed for logic," the Robot said. "While some believe it is illogical to believe in God or Heaven, I believe – having witnessed the vastness of the universe up close – it would be illogical to believe all this wonder came into existence by happenstance. The notion of some sort of random accident creating this vast array of wonder – that, Will Robinson, does not compute."

"I'd have to say I agree with you," Will said.

"There is something I would like you to do for me," the Robot said.

"Anything," Will said.

"I would like you to remove from my memory banks all information about Dr. Smith," the Robot said.

"You want me to do _what?"_ Will said.

"I am sorry," the Robot said. "But I am finding the loss of my friend to be too painful. If you erase my memory banks of all reference to him, I will no longer suffer this grief. Please, Will Robinson."

"But you know his name is going to come up in conversation," Will said. "You won't know what we're talking about."

"I often deal in information with which I am not familiar," the Robot said. "It is part of my functioning. It will not present an operational problem."

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

"I am sure," the Robot said. "Please conduct the file modification now, Will. I will be most grateful to you for doing so."

Will reluctantly stood before the Robot and reached for his file manager control. He put his hand on it and prepared to manipulate it to erase all files referencing Dr. Smith. The Robot waited. Will pulled his hand back.

"Know what?" Will said. "No. I won't do it. If you're going to take on human emotion, you have to learn to deal with it like the rest of us. No one ever said it was supposed to be without pain. I'm sorry. But if you loved Dr. Smith, then you owe it to him to grieve for him. And if I'm your friend, then you owe it to me to grieve along with me. You're just going to have to keep these memories and deal with them."

"Very well, Will Robinson," the Robot said. "I am finding that characteristics of becoming more like a human are indeed a mixed blessing."

Will put his arm around his mechanical friend.

"They are," he said. "But all in all, it's an experience worth having. Come on, let's go back to the ship."

* * *

_The next morning_

"Good morning, darling," came a soft voice accompanied by sweet kisses all over Don's face. He opened his eyes, adjusted quickly to the light and delighted at the sight of Judy's face close to his.

"Good morning yourself," he said, putting his arms around his wife and holding her tightly.

"Thank you for a wonderful night," she said, kissing him passionately.

"Oh it was my pleasure, believe me," Don said. "You think we were far enough away from the others that they didn't hear us?"

"I think so," she said. "But I don't really care. We're married now, remember?"

"Now that you mention it," Don said, "I knew we did something noteworthy yesterday. I was trying to remember whether it was a skiing trip or something like that."

Judy playfully punched him in the arm, prompting him to grab her and begin a mock wrestling match in the bed.

"You know last night was my first time," she said.

Don gulped.

"Well, I guess I didn't know that for a fact, until now," he said. "But it's not something I'm unhappy to know. Was it OK? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head softly.

"It's part of the experience," she said. "But it's exactly how it's supposed to be. And I promise you, it was wonderful in every way. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Now, since we're still here, and this _is_ our honeymoon, which means I don't think the others will be disturbing us . . ."

"Yes?" Don asked, waiting for the rest.

Judy peeled off her nightshirt and collapsed into Don's arms.

"I think one more for the road is an absolute must," she said and began showering him with kisses.

"First this, then we go back to Earth," Don said as he grabbed her panties with his toes and pushed them down to her feet. "What a day."

Judy sat up, grabbed Don's shirt and pulled it over his head, then reached for his underwear.

"What a life," she said. "What a life together we're going to have."

* * *

"I think everything's ready," Don said to John. "Are you sure it wouldn't make more sense for us to leave the Robot here with you? I'm sure there's a lot he could help you with."

"No," John said. "I think his presence on the flight is more important. Even though it's supposed to be instantaneous, you'll need his help in reading the control panel on the ship because they're all in the alien language."

"Well, OK," Don said. "Are you sure you're going to have enough food?"

"There is so much edible vegetation on this planet," John said. "We couldn't run out if we tried. And I may try to kill some game and see if we can eat the meat. I haven't had a barbecue in a long time."

Will, Penny and Judy – finally finished securing their things for the trip – bounded down the ramp of the Jupiter 3 to the final goodbye to their parents. Hugs and kisses went all around, then all six of them shared in a big group hug.

"Now it's not as if we'll be here alone all that long," Maureen said. "We expect to see you back here within a week or two, as soon as Alpha Control has put together a colonization party to return with you."

"I know," Don said. "But you know how the bureaucracy works in making decisions. I'll try to remind them that you're here alone and that we can't leave you indefinitely. What are you going to do for shelter?"

"With the tools Brile left us," John said, "I'll have no trouble building us a temporary shelter in case of rain or wind, but the climate is so pleasant here we really don't have any problems being outside most of the time. Now if the hyperdrive doesn't activate, for whatever reason, you're to turn around and come right back here to Alpha Prime. We agree on that, right?"

"Are you speaking as my father-in-law or as the commander of the mission?" Don asked.

"Whichever one gets your attention," John said with a smile. "Good luck, Major."

Don, Judy, Will and Penny boarded the Jupiter 3, turned around to wave goodbye one last time, then closed the hatch and strapped themselves into their seats.

John put his arm around Maureen and watched as the ship's engine started and the Jupiter 3 moved into its pre-launch hover position.

"What are we going to do, just the two of us with an entire planet all to ourselves?" Maureen asked.

"I was thinking we could walk around naked and have lots of sex," John said.

"Oh, John Robinson, now you control yourself," Maureen said. "Until they leave, I mean."

John and Maureen laughed and held each other, and watched as the ship ascended.

"Is everyone strapped in and ready?" Don asked.

"Ready!" Will called out.

"Ready!" Penny exclaimed.

"Robot, are you secured in your compartment?" Don asked.

"Affirmative, Major West," the Robot answered.

"Mrs. West, are we ready to go to grandmother's house?" Don asked his co-pilot.

"Let's take this bad boy home," Judy said.

"Prepare for acceleration," Don said, "in five, four, three, two, one."

And as John and Maureen watched, the Jupiter 3 disappeared into the light, fluffy clouds, and left Alpha Prime's atmosphere. And took them home.

**THE END**


End file.
